


The Assistant

by phantomthief_fee



Series: The Assistant [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Body Horror, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2018-12-17 02:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11842191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: The story of an assistant at Joey Drew Studios.





	1. Chapter 1

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I can’t believe it! I’m really working at Joey Drew Studios! I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and do what I have to. Mr. Lawrence has a reputation around the studio for being mean, but he’s not as bad as people say he is. Mr. Drew made me his assistant since no one else seems to be able to handle the workload. Mr. Drew seemed pretty relieved when I agreed. I think he was starting to worry no one was ever going to take the position. I can understand why the interns are scared of Mr. Lawrence, he can be scary, but that’s only to people who pretend to know more than they do. Miss Campbell is really nice too, and I love hearing her do lines and sing. Oh! And Mr. Stein said I had a good work ethic! Mostly I’ve just been getting coffee for everyone, filling up the inkwells, getting Mr. Lawrence or Mr. Stein or the other animators’ paper, but he says I’ve been working really hard and he appreciates that. I really like the janitor, Mr. Franks, too. He’s the butt of people’s jokes most of the time, but I think he’s a lot smarter than people give him credit for. Anyway, he’s really silly and always cheers me up when I’m sad. I think I’m really going to like it here._

 

All Cordelia Bell had ever wanted was to make people happy. From the time she’d been very small, she’d strived to make everyone around her smile. It was her defense mechanism. If she made people happy, no one would have any reason to hate her. This placating nature had started when she’d been a small child and had admitted to liking another girl in her class. Her parents had been understanding. Her classmates and teacher, less so. From then on, she’d kept her attraction to girls a secret, admitting only her attraction to boys. It hadn’t helped that, as she’d gotten older, she’d proved to be more interested in books than in homemaking. Cordelia found ways to make herself indispensable to everyone around her. Now, the problem with wanting to make everyone happy all the time was that she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life. There were a multitude of careers that could make people smile. There were so many of them, she didn’t know how to choose. Her parents had suggested she become a schoolteacher, but she didn’t like that idea too much. Cordelia was too shy to ever get up in front of a class and take charge. She remained unsure of her path in life all the way through high school, flitting from interest to interest, never lingering for too long on any one thing. Then the Depression hit. Thankfully, her father didn’t lose his job, but he took a severe pay cut. Her mother started doing some seamstress work in order to make ends meet, and Cordelia dropped out of her senior year of high school in order to find a job. She started waiting tables at a local diner in order to help out. That was when the worst hit. Her brother’s accident.

Roy Bell was an actor, or at least, he had been. His parts weren’t too big, mostly stunt work here and there. He’d started acting in theater troupes first before eventually going to Hollywood in order to get his big break. He wasn’t leading man material, apparently, but he’d been hired to do stunts due to how flexible and athletic he was. Roy loved his work as much as Cordelia loved music and Sammy Lawrence. No role was too small for him. Then everything had changed. He was supposed to be doing a stunt with an iron. The iron wasn’t even supposed to be on. But it had been, and when the stunt had been performed, the iron went right into his face. Things were different after that. Her brother was never the same. He spent most of his time too afraid to go outside. He had been a good-looking man, taking pride in his appearance at one time. He didn’t look in mirrors anymore, didn’t leave the house. Cordelia had tried to approach him once or twice to get him to talk about it, but he hadn’t said a word to her, staying silent until she left. So, she focused on her job. Working at the diner wasn’t bad. Her boss was alright. She didn’t hate him, but she didn’t love him either. It was fine. All of it was fine. She went to the movies a lot, mostly to take her mind off everything that was happening. That was how she discovered the Bendy cartoons.

She’d always been a musically inclined child. Her mother had been in the church choir when they’d been younger, and Cordelia had loved nothing more than to sit in the living room and listen to her mother sing hymns and play the piano. Sometimes she’d make up songs herself. She’d forgotten how happy music made her. She immediately tried to find out who it was who wrote the music for the cartoons. It took a little digging, but she figured it out nonetheless. The second she figured out who he was, she wrote him a letter telling him how much she loved his music, and how she was now thinking of becoming a composer herself. She felt a little silly, writing a fan letter at her age. She was almost 18 after all. She didn’t think he’d write back. He was probably very busy. She had run around the house screaming after that, waving the letter above her head like a flag. Sammy’s letter was sweet, thanking her for writing to him and telling her realistically how hard it was to make a career out of writing music. Still, he encouraged her to try if that was what she really wanted to do. From that moment on, Cordelia Bell was determined to be just like Sammy Lawrence. Her parents had been a little surprised by her sudden career choice but nonetheless encouraged her.

“We always knew you were an artist.” Her mother would say. She knew her parents were worried, though. Being a composer was a hard career path, especially given Cordelia’s gender and lack of confidence. But she was willing to put in the work. She was willing to do whatever it took, within reason, to make her dream come true. Although, given the current Depression, she couldn’t really make her dreams come true at that very moment. She’d have to bide her time. But for the first time in a long time, she was happy. Until she lost her job at the diner. Then it was back to searching for a new job.

“You really don’t need to push yourself like this.” Her mother said.

“We’re making enough to get by.” Her father added. But she was determined. She combed through the classified section of the newspaper every day, checking out every possible job. Each time she was turned down, until one day, a familiar name popped out at her.

**Joey Drew Studios. Assistant wanted.**

Her first experience with Joey Drew had been…interesting, to say the least. She’d answered the ad he’d put in the paper and walked into…pandemonium. There were people everywhere, running back and forth and screaming. A bespectacled man came up to her. She assumed he was an animator, judging by his ink-stained clothing. He was a rather handsome man if she did say so herself. His eyes were kind behind his thick glasses and he had an easy smile. He couldn’t possibly be much older than her brother, but he looked far younger due to his soft features. She’d seen him at award ceremonies with Joey, but she didn’t remember his name. Immediately she tried to stand up straighter, seem more in control than she actually was.

“Um, hello.” She waved. “I saw the ad in the paper. I’m looking for Mr. Drew?”

“Oh, right, the ad.” The man wiped his hands on his pants. “I’m Henry Stein, I’m Joey’s business partner.” He held a hand out for her.

“Cordelia Bell.” She said, shaking it. “I-It’s a pleasure.” She hoped he couldn’t tell how much she was shaking. She was here. She was at Joey Drew Studios.

“Come with me. Joey’s this way.” Henry gestured for her to follow him. She fell into step behind him. As they walked, she looked at everything around her. It was a very haphazardly put together studio. Everything seemed to just be shoved together. Still, it felt cozy to her. Her room at home had never been particularly organized. There were always papers and books strewn about, although she kept her instruments well out of the way. She noticed a door leading down to the music department and it was all she could do not to bolt in that direction, towards the one beacon of familiarity she had in this place. Eventually, they arrived at a door marked “Joey Drew”.

“Joey?” Henry opened the door. “There’s a girl here. She saw your ad.” A disheveled, black-haired man looked up from a desk cluttered with papers. Cordelia almost laughed out loud. She recognized Joey Drew instantly, it was just...he looked so different from the photos she’d seen of him at award ceremonies. He was always so put together then with his perfectly pressed suits and fancy cufflinks. It was nice to see him in this more natural state. It made him seem more human. Even in such a state, the mere sight of Joey Drew was enough to put Cordelia at ease. He was a large man, with an air about him that made one feel comfortable and safe.

“Well, hello there!” Joey smoothed his hair back with one hand. “I’m Joey Drew, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” Cordelia curtsied.

“So, about the job.” Joey leaned heavily on the desk. “I can only put you in the Music Department right now. We’re a bit understaffed there. I apologize in advance. Sammy’s a little-”

“I’ll do it.” She answered quickly. Joey blinked.

“I must warn you, Sammy can be a bit difficult. Are you sure you want to?” He said.

“I mean, um, I can handle it.” She backtracked a little. “I’m willing to do whatever it is that’s needed of me.” She needed this job. Her family needed this job.

“Well, alright then!” Joey held out a hand to her. “Welcome to Joey Drew Studios, Miss...?”

“Cordelia Bell.” She shook his hand as enthusiastically as she could.

“You think Sammy’s up for a visitor?” Henry asked, looking over Cordelia’s head at Joey.

“He’ll make an exception,” Joey said brightly, moving out from behind the desk. The first thing Cordelia noticed was his bum foot. She knew it was rude to stare, but it _was_ rather prominent. Joey dragged it behind him when he walked. He moved surprisingly fast, even with the bum foot, crossing the room before she could register it. His cane tapped rhythmically on the ground. Cordelia followed eagerly. She was finally going to meet Sammy Lawrence in person! It was so exciting she almost couldn’t breathe. She followed Joey down to the music department, where the sounds of the band drifted out from the band room. They were playing The Lighter Side of Hell, Cordelia’s favorite song.

“Hey, who’s this?” A freckled man asked as he passed by the trio. Everything about him was rumpled or messy, right down to the cap shoved over his curly hair.

“She’s a new hire,” Henry explained. “She’ll be working with Sammy.”

“Yikes. Good luck girlie.” The man said.

“Thanks,” Cordelia said, smiling vaguely. “I’m Cordelia, what’s your name?”

“Ah, this is Wallace Franks,” Joey said. “He’s our janitor.”

“Y’can call me Wally.” Wally stuck out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Wally.”

“FRANKS!” Everyone on the vicinity jumped at the sound of Sammy’s voice bellowing from the music room. Wally smiled sheepishly, slipping past them.

“He must’ve found my keys. See y’all later, okay?” Then he was gone, dashing up the stairs and away from the irate music director. Sammy slammed the door to his office open, clutching a set of keys in one hand. He looked absolutely livid. Cordelia had to catch her breath for a moment. She’d seen pictures of him before, but nothing could have prepared her for actually meeting him in person. He was a striking man, tall and with piercing grey eyes and hair that wavered somewhere between blond and brown.

“Save Wally’s lecture for later,” Joey said, suddenly all business. “We’ve got a new assistant.”

“Let me guess. I’m babysitting?” Sammy asked. He did a quarter turn, towering over the newly minted assistant.

“Hello, sir!” She said brightly. She felt a lot better seeing him. She knew him.

“She actually agreed to work with you, so be nice,” Joey said. Sammy muttered something that was probably supposed to be an insult towards Joey, but no one could hear it nor did most of them care.

“I’m Cordelia Bell, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lawrence!” Cordelia stuck her hand out. Sammy frowned at hearing the name. She could see the gears beginning to turn in his head.

“Bell...” He said slowly. “Wait, aren’t you that kid that writes me letters?”

“That’s me.” She was surprised he remembered her, honestly. They’d exchanged three maybe four letters in the past few years. She hadn’t expected he’d remember her just from those few letters. Sammy kept frowning down at her for a few minutes then motioned for her to follow him.

“Alright. I’ll babysit.” He said. “And kid, don’t expect any special treatment.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” She nodded. She could have sworn she saw him smile the slightest bit.

After that, Cordelia’s days were spent running from one corner of the studio to the other, doing things like delivering papers, getting coffee, filling inkwells. She worked harder than she’d ever worked in her life. She had to please everyone. This, however, tended to backfire on her. She worked harder than her body was physically capable of keeping up with, not to mention put extreme pressure on her mental state. This was how she met Susie Campbell. Cordelia was in the corner of the band room, near the recording booth, coming down from one of her panic attacks. Norman had given her a paper bag to breathe into and that had helped stop the hyperventilating. He always seemed to be there when she needed him, like some kind of guardian angel. She didn’t know how he got around so well, honestly. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, letting the sounds of the band wash over her. Then a new sound reached her ears. A woman doing vocal exercises. There weren’t very many other women working at Joey Drew Studios, so this immediately registered as strange to Cordelia. Not many of the female band members or interns sang, and even when they did they never did vocal exercises. Curiously, she opened one eye. There was a woman standing in the other corner, right beside the recording booth. When the woman noticed her staring, she stopped her exercises and walked over.

“Hello there.” She said. Cordelia immediately liked her. The other woman was warm and friendly, everything about her open and inviting. She was a little taller than Cordelia herself, which meant she was rather small, although she was certainly stockier than Cordelia. The woman’s hair was platinum blonde, meaning it probably wasn’t her natural hair color, and her makeup was impeccable.

“H-Hi.” Cordelia held out her hand. “I’m Cordelia Bell. I work for Mr. Lawrence.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Susie Campbell.” The woman shook her hand vigorously. “Mr. Drew hired me to voice some of the characters.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Miss Campbell, we’re ready for you.” One of the interns said, tapping Susie on the shoulder. She turned back to Cordelia, her expression apologetic.

“I’m sorry, dear.” She said. “I’ve gotta go now. But we can talk more later, alright?”

“That would be nice.” Cordelia watched her go, waiting until she was gone to return to work. It was back to scrambling back and forth, getting paper, refilling coffee cups. Her feet were beginning to hurt. She needed to get some better shoes soon. Maybe Roy would even come out with her this time. Lost in thought, Cordelia hardly noticed when Henry grabbed her arm. She jerked back, nearly dropping the stack of papers she had clutched in her arms.

“Oh, sorry.” Henry quickly let go. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s, um, it’s alright.” She said. “I shouldn’t have been daydreaming so much. Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Stein?”

“I just wanted to tell you you’re doing a great job.” He said. “You seem like you’ve been worried lately so I wanted to put your mind at ease.”

“T-Thank you, sir.” She couldn’t help but smile as she walked away. She was really going to like it here.


	2. Chapter 2

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_So, it’s been a couple of months, and things are still going pretty well. Mr. Drew’s been acting a little strange though. I... I’m not sure how to explain it. Nothing’s wrong, it’s just...Something’s a little off. Of course, something’s always a little off when it comes to Mr. Drew, so I guess I shouldn’t be all that worried. Everyone is really nice here. When I have anxiety attacks, Mr. Polk lets me sit in the corner of his projection booth and listen to the band. It helps a lot. And Miss Campbell, sorry, Miss Susie has been giving me voice lessons when we have free time. She says I could really go places someday! I’m happy here for now, though. Someday I’ll go back to school, maybe even go to college, but for now, I’m happy where I am. We need the money, after all. Roy’s surgeries won’t pay for themselves. N-Not that I’m resentful of him or anything! I’m really not. It’s just tough sometimes. Anyway, Mr. Lawrence has been a good boss so far, if a bit strict. Nothing I can’t handle though._

 

There was something strange about Joey Drew. Cordelia wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but something was off about her new boss. He never seemed to drop his smiling facade, even when he was firing people. It was surprisingly easy to tick him off, so she always watched what she said around him. If she was being honest, he scared her. But he was kind and understanding, for the most part. She liked working for him. He was a better boss than the one she’d had at the diner. And as scary as he could be, as long as he wasn’t violent it was probably fine. As long as he didn’t do anything to hurt her or anyone else in the studio, it wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on it. Roy’s surgeries weren’t going to pay for themselves, after all. The accident hadn’t been his fault, she had no reason to resent him, but somehow...she still did. All he ever did was mope around while the rest of them were working their ass off for him. Even when her depressive episodes got so bad she almost couldn’t get out of bed, she still went to work because she knew her family needed her. He was her big brother, he was supposed to protect her. Whenever those thoughts came up they made her sick. He couldn’t help it. He was as prone to depression as she was.

“Cordelia? Are you alright?” Cordelia returned to reality. She was in the projection booth, hunched in a corner and shaking. Norman stood to her left, mostly focused on the projector. She’d learned he let her hide with him because she apparently reminded him of his estranged daughter. Susie stood in front of her, leaning down so her face was level with Cordelia’s. The two of them hadn’t seen each other much after their initial encounter. There had been a deadline coming up, which had kept both of them very busy.

“She’s coming down from a panic attack.” Norman explained, not taking his eyes off the projector. “But if anyone asks, she’s on break.”

“Ah.” Susie nodded, settling down beside the smaller girl. “You want to know what I do when I’m scared or nervous?”

“Um...Alright?” Cordelia wasn’t exactly sure why Susie was sitting down next to her now. She was just an assistant. Although, she was one of the few women in the studio. Lacie counted, but she didn’t interact with much of anyone. The others were inkers, so those in the music department didn’t see them much.

“I like singing to calm myself down.” Susie said, gently nudging Cordelia with her shoulder. “Lullabies especially.”

“My mom used to sing me lullabies when I was little and I was scared.”

“My mom did that too. Singing lullabies reminds me of her.”

Cordelia smiled a little at that. To be honest, she was a little in awe of Susie Campbell. The woman was a force to be reckoned with. Despite the fact that she could likely be fired for so much as breathing wrong, she didn’t let anyone walk all over her. She was polite, but she had no tolerance for bullshit. She was exactly the kind of person Cordelia wanted to be when she was older, although she knew it would likely never come to pass.

“Um, out of curiosity Miss Campbell-”

“Susie.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Call me Susie.” Susie said. “Everyone does.”

“Um, alright.” Cordelia shifted her position so she was sitting up straighter. “Miss Susie, why are you talking to me? I’m just an assistant.”

“Well, you’re one of the only other girls here, and I like making friends whenever I can.” Susie said, shrugging.

“Oh. Right. Okay.” Cordelia nodded, playing with her skirt. Yeah, that made sense.

“Did you think no one would talk to you because you’re an assistant?” Susie asked with a small smile.

“.... Maybe.”

Susie laughed and ruffled Cordelia’s hair. “I swear, you are just the cutest thing.”

“Th... Thanks?” Cordelia felt her face starting to heat up a little.

“Y’know, I could give you voice lessons sometime.” Susie said. “I’ve heard you singing when you think no one’s listening and you’re not half bad.”

“You- Oh dear.” Cordelia began to fidget with her skirt. “No one was supposed to hear that.”

“It’s cute.” Susie said. “Reminds me of Sammy to be honest. You probably picked it up from him.”

“I probably did.” Just like she’d picked up Roy’s habit of twirling his umbrella while she walked, Singing in The Rain style. Funny, she’d never really registered how much she viewed Sammy as a second big brother. Suddenly there was a crash from outside the music room, and Sammy familiar cry of;

“FRANKS!”

“Oh dear.” Cordelia got to her feet. “He probably tripped over one of Wally’s buckets again. I’d better go see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Don’t work yourself too hard, okay, sweetie?” Susie yelled after her. Cordelia smiled and scurried out. When Cordelia found Sammy, he was on the ground with one of Wally’s buckets stuck to his foot. The unfortunate janitor was kneeling on the floor as well, trying to pull the bucket off Sammy.

“Oh dear.” Cordelia said.

“Hey, lil lady.” Wally was too preoccupied to wave. “Think you could give me a little help here?”

“How on earth did you get it so jammed in there?” Cordelia asked as she knelt beside Wally, joining him in trying to pull off the bucket.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know?” Sammy snapped. “I was just walking and tripped, okay?” Cordelia flinched at this which caused Sammy to sigh and calmly apologize.

“I’m sorry. This is just frustrating.” He said. “Stop leaving your buckets lying around, Franks.”

“This wasn’t lying around.” Wally protested. “I was in the middle of cleaning! You’re the one who wasn’t looking where he was going.” Cordelia glanced around. Music sheets were scattered on the floor behind Sammy. Presumably, he’d been looking over that day’s music and hadn’t noticed the bucket. She laughed softly.

“What’s so funny?” Sammy said, trying not to snap.

“You got caught up in the music sheets again, didn’t you?” She said. Sammy shrugged slightly, his cheeks turning a light pink. He was always so focused when it came to his music, something that he wasn’t exactly keen on people finding out, what with his scary image and all.

“He’s blushing!” Wally yelled, hopping up.

“Shut up and get the damn bucket off my foot!” Sammy yelled, making a rather obscene gesture at Wally. Together, Wally and Cordelia managed to pry the bucket off Sammy’s foot. Cordelia helped him gather up his music sheets and the day continued as normal, with her going upstairs to get the animators new paper and deliver their coffee. As she passed Joey’s office, she thought she heard someone talking. She paused outside the door. Her parents had raised her not to be a snoop, but she couldn’t help but be curious. After all, everyone knew there was something strange about their boss. She leaned closer to the door, straining to make out the words. It sounded like Joey was...chanting something. She could almost figure out what he was saying.

“Whatcha doin’?” She shrieked as someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Easy, it’s just me.” Johnny, former intern and current organ player, put his hands up. Cordelia had become friends with him during her time at the studio. Before he’d been promoted to organ player, since he was the only person in the studio who _could_ play the organ, he’d been Sammy’s assistant. Sammy liked him well enough, but Johnny could be a bit…silly at times, so he been transferred to organ player. Both Sammy and Johnny were happier with this arrangement.

“You scared me.” Cordelia glanced back at Joey’s office door. The chanting had stopped and she could hear the thump of Joey’s cast as he made his way to the door to investigate the noise. She grabbed Johnny’s arm and the two beat a hasty retreat.

“What were you doing with your ear to the boss’ door?” Johnny asked once they were in the break room.

“I thought I heard something.” She explained, beginning to fill up the coffee cups.

“What kind of something?” He tilted his head to the side.

“Chanting?” She paused, waiting for him to either laugh at her or tell her to stop being so weird. He did neither.

“Huh.” Johnny leaned on the counter. “I mean, Mr. Drew _is_ pretty weird.”

“You...You don’t think I’m just hearing things?” She stared at him, frowning. Most people tended to just brush her off when she said things like this. But then again, this was a weird place with weird people.

Johnny shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t know.”

“I should probably go deliver this.” She said with a small smile, lifting up the coffee tray. She paused in the doorway and looked back. “Thank you for believing me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Johnny asked, giving her a confused smile. Cordelia felt her cheeks heat up.

“I don’t know. Just…Thanks.” Then she hurried out. After that it was down to the infirmary and to find Jack Fain. He was the lyricist and he rather liked hiding out to write his songs. He generally hung out in a little alcove below the infirmary. He was left alone for the most part, mostly because it stunk to high heaven down there.

“Don’t go so fast.” The studio doctor, Harriet Jackman, scolded her as she ran down the stairs. “You’ll end up spilling the coffee or tripping.”

“Sorry, Doctor Jackman.” Cordelia nodded in her direction before heading down to find Jack. He was in his little hideout, predictably, humming to himself as he scribbled away.

“Hello, Mr. Fain!” She walked up with her tray.

“Hello, Miss Bell.” Jack didn’t even look up. She put the coffee on the table next to him, laughing a little at the clothes peg on his nose.

“You laugh, but if you spent half the time down here that I do, you’d need it.” Jack gave her a wry smile.

“Of course, Mr. Fain.” She nodded before heading back upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I just met Mr. Stein’s wife today. I didn’t even know he had a wife. But then again, he does have a wedding ring, although he doesn’t wear it while he’s working. In any case, she’s a lovely woman. She dropped by to make sure Mr. Stein wasn’t working himself too hard. He was sick all last week and only just got well enough to come back. From what Mrs. Stein said, he would have come back sooner if she hadn’t made him stay home and rest. She, Mr. Stein, and Mr. Drew all seem rather close. I’m glad Mr. Drew has such good friends. I can’t help but worry about him sometimes. He seems really lonely. On another note, Sammy and Susie have been getting really close lately. I think Sammy’s sweet on Susie, honestly. But you didn’t hear it from me._

 

Linda Stein was a force to be reckoned with, that was to be sure. Cordelia had been delivering some papers to Joey when Henry’s wife had burst in. Linda was a stunning woman, tall and dark skinned with her hair tied back in a tight bun. She was dressed professionally, which made Cordelia think that she was maybe a professor or a businesswoman.

“Hello, Mrs. Stein!” One of the passing inker girls smiled and waved to the imposing woman standing in the doorway. Cordelia nearly dropped her papers as the woman turned toward her and smiled.

“Hello, Kim.” She strode over and began a conversation with the inker. Cordelia stayed where she was, transfixed. It had been a little while since she’d had a crush on a woman. But it had certainly returned with a vengeance. After a moment or two, the woman turned to Cordelia, smiling.

“And who might you be?” She had such lovely eyes.

“I’m, uh, I-” Cordelia fumbled with the papers so that she could extend a hand. “I-I’m Cordelia. Cordelia Bell. I work for Mr. Lawrence.”

“Henry did say Joey had hired a new assistant for Sammy.” The woman murmured, shaking Cordelia’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Bell. I’m Linda Stein. I’m Henry’s wife.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Cordelia returned Linda’s smile, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat up. “Mr. Stein never mentioned having a wife.”

“I’m not surprised.” Linda chuckled. “He’s always so caught up in his work.” She shook her head and sighed. “I swear, he would have dragged himself back here as soon as he stopped vomiting if he could have.”

“Yes, I guess that does sound like him.” Cordelia couldn’t help but laugh as well. “If you’re looking for him, I think he’s with Mr. Drew right now.”

“Good. I need to talk to Joey too.” She set off down the hallway. Cordelia scrambled after her, still rather in awe. When Linda arrived at Joey’s office, she threw the door open without a second thought and strode in. Joey and Henry looked up from what they’d been discussing. Henry’s face lit up and he stood up to embrace his wife.

“Linda! It’s so good to see you!” He said after giving her a kiss. “Why are you here? Don’t you have a class to teach today?”

“Class isn’t for another hour.” Linda waved a hand. “Besides, I had to make sure you weren’t working yourself too hard.”

“Come on, I’m not that bad.”

“You and I both know that if Linda hadn’t stopped you, you would have tried to work while throwing up,” Joey said. Henry flushed and gave Joey an exasperated look. Linda and Joey began to laugh, laughing even harder as Henry tried desperately to deny their claims. Cordelia hovered in the doorway. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Joey smile so genuinely. She couldn’t help but smile a little herself. He seemed so happy.

“Ah! Miss Bell! Do you have something for me?” Joey asked when he noticed Cordelia standing there.

“Oh, um, yes.” Cordelia nodded, walking in and placing the papers on his desk. “Mr. Lawrence wanted me to give you these.”

“Thank you.” Joey started to sift through the papers. “Oh, Linda, has Henry told you about the new character he came up with?”

“New character?” Linda raised an eyebrow, folding her arms.

“I-It’s nothing.” Henry immediately went bright red, scratching the back of his neck. “Just a little doodle I did. She probably won’t become a real character.”

“She?” Linda’s smile widened. Cordelia had been about ready to leave until she’d heard this. No one seemed to be paying attention to her, so she decided to stay and see where this went.

“Her name is Alice Angel.” Joey looked up from the papers with a big grin.

“Really?” Linda leaned in close to Henry’s face. “What a coincidence. Did the name have anything to do with the fact that my middle name is Alice?”

“N-No.” Henry’s face was a shade of red that Cordelia had never seen on a human being before. She was trying very hard not to laugh.

“She’s supposed to be a love interest for Bendy.” Joey continued, resting his chin on his folded hands. “An angel sent from Heaven.”

“Joey!” Henry hissed, shooting Joey a pleading look.

“Is that so?” Linda said. Cordelia stifled a laugh, darting out of the office. She’d known about Alice prior to this, mostly because Joey had been asking Sammy to write possible songs for the character, but she hadn’t been aware that Alice was apparently based off of Linda. It did seem like the sort of thing Henry would do. He was such a sweet man, and obviously very in love with his wife. It was good to know that Joey had friends and that Henry had a support system. The two men could seem so lonely sometimes. They both worked themselves so hard, putting their wellbeing second. She knew they were her bosses and that it might be overstepping her boundaries, but she worried about them. They were lovely people, the best bosses she’d ever had, and she wanted them to be happy.

When Cordelia arrived at Sammy’s office, she found Sammy and Susie talking. They’d been talking a lot as of late. Sammy had heard Susie singing during one of the recording sessions and had apparently fallen in love with her voice. Cordelia technically wasn’t supposed to know this, but she had noticed Sammy occasionally making up little melodies and writing in the margins, ‘Susie would sound good singing this’ or something like that. He didn’t yell at her either, something which stunned quite a few members of the band.

“I heard some loud noises upstairs,” Sammy said when Cordelia entered. “Everything alright?”

“Mr. Stein’s wife stopped by,” Cordelia explained. “She seems nice.”

“Mm.” Sammy nodded sagely. “Yeah, Linda’s a great lady. She probably came by to make sure Henry wasn’t pushing himself too hard, right.”

“Yep.”

“Wait, Henry’s married?” Susie asked, eyes widening. “He never mentioned having a wife!”

“It probably slipped his mind.” Sammy shrugged. “He gets tunnel vision when he’s at work.”

“That sounds like someone I know.” Susie gave Sammy a mischievous smile, elbowing him gently. Sammy rolled his eyes but smiled and playfully swatted her hand away. Cordelia took this chance to get out, giving Sammy a wink before vanishing out the door.

“Wait, Cordelia!” Sammy yelled after her. “What was that for?! Don’t you walk away!”

“I can’t hear you~”

“Cordelia!”

But she was already gone. She had other jobs to attend to. Sammy and Susie deserved to have some time to themselves. Hopefully to get better…acquainted.


	4. Chapter 4

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Mr. Stein and Mr. Drew had a fight today. Not just any fight, a REALLY big fight. Everyone in the studio heard the two of them yelling at each other. I didn’t even want to go upstairs in case I ran into them. Then Mr. Stein stormed out. I don’t think he’s going to be coming back. I’m scared. I’ve never heard Mr. Drew this angry before. Mr. Lawrence says it’ll pass, that everything will be fine, but I don’t know if he actually believes that. I think he’s scared too. Mr. Drew was pretty devastated when I went to give him his coffee. It looked like he’d been crying. But that wasn’t the strange part. There was this...This look in his eyes. I’ve never seen him look like that before. He had a book open on his desk, and I swear I saw some kind of.... sigil in there. Like a daemonic sigil or something. I think something is about to go very wrong._

 

Arriving to the sound of yelling wasn’t exactly uncommon for Cordelia. With someone like Sammy in the studio, yelling was an ordinary occurrence. He yelled at people so often that no one, save the new interns, reacted to it anymore. For a moment, she prepared to head to Joey’s office to give him his morning cup of coffee. Then she realized it wasn’t Sammy’s voice she heard. It was Joey and Henry screaming at one another. This immediately worried her. Henry seldom yelled at anyone, but Joey...Joey never raised his voice. Never. Even when he was firing people, he did it with a smile and a calm voice. Not wanting to encounter either man, she ran down to the music department, trying very hard not to start hyperventilating.

“What’s going on?” She whispered to Sammy when she entered his office.

“I don’t know.” Sammy shrugged slightly. He looked tired, more so than usual.

“They’re fighting. Mr. Stein and Mr. Drew are fighting.” Cordelia said weakly, glancing up at the ceiling.

“Yeah, they are.”

“Why are they fighting?”

“I don’t know," Sammy said again. “My best guess would be that Henry’s finally gotten fed up with Joey’s pushing. Joey’s not too happy about it, obviously.”

“That’s an understatement.” Wally snorted, leaning on his mop. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard the boss man this angry before.”

“You’re gonna scare the kid.”

“This seems bad.” Cordelia began to fidget. “Do you think this is bad? I think this is bad.”

“See? What did I tell you?” Sammy cast a disparaging look Wally’s way. The bags under his eyes were more prominent. It had probably been a late night for him.

“Shoot. Sorry, lil lady.” Wally said. Cordelia muttered something about it being alright, but neither man really believed her.

“It’s going to be fine. It’ll pass.” Sammy assured her. “Joey’s moods always do.” A moment later there was the sound of frantic footsteps and the door behind Cordelia slammed open as Jack entered with Johnny on his heels.

“I’m not hearing things, right?” He asked. “Joey’s having a screaming match with Henry?”

“He is.” Sammy said.

“Well, why’s it happening?”

“Henry’s fed up with Joey.” Cordelia murmured. “Do you think he’s going to be upset the whole day?”

“Henry never really struck me as the confrontational type, y’know?” Wally said. “But I guess things are rough enough that you gotta do what you gotta do.” Johnny looked over at Cordelia. Evidently, he hadn’t forgotten the chanting she’d heard. Neither had she. All her fears started bubbling up again. Joey seemed like a relatively stable person most of the time, but she had a feeling that Henry acted as some kind of grounding force and without him, things might get.... strange.

“We should probably get back to work.” Johnny said. “We don’t want Mr. Drew to be mad at us next.”

“You all know where to find me if you need me.” Jack nodded before making a beeline for the infirmary.

“Whatever you say, kid.” Wally shrugged and headed for the door. Johnny followed after him, glancing at Cordelia before he got through the doorway. Cordelia stood frozen where she was, her hands opening and closing.

“Cordelia.” She looked up abruptly. Sammy had turned around to look at her.

“Look, just calm down.” He said. “I promise, it’s going to be fine. Those two have gotten into fights before and it always blows over eventually. They’ve been friends for a long time.”

“You’re sure?” She whispered.

“I’m sure.” Sammy got up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Look, kid, Joey’s got no reason to be angry with you. That’s why you’re worried, right?” Cordelia bit her lip and nodded.

“You just have to keep your cool.” He said, offering a small smile. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Thanks, Roy. I-I mean Sammy.” She corrected herself quickly after realizing her mistake. Sammy’s smile widened.

“Do I remind you of your brother or something?” He asked, going back to his chair.

“Sometimes.” She started chewing on her lip. “I... I should really go see how Mr. Drew is doing.”

“Remember, stay calm.” Sammy yelled after her as she scurried up the steps. She arrived on the first floor just in time to see Henry storming out with a cardboard box in his arms. Inside were all the things from his desk.

“Mr. Stein, are you alright?” She asked. He looked about ready to snap, then saw it was her and tried to calm himself down.

“I’m fine.” He said.

“You’re not coming back, are you?”

He shook his head. “Probably not.”

“I... I liked working for you.” She tried not to get emotional but could still feel the tears welling up anyway. “I’m going to miss you.” Henry’s expression softened at this.

“You’re a sweet girl.” He said. “You shouldn’t have to work here your whole life.” She just nodded, watching as he pushed the door open and left. Taking a shaking breath, she headed for Joey’s office. When she opened the door with the coffee pot in hand, Joey had his head in his hands.

“Good morning, Mr. Drew.” She forced herself to sound cheerful. “I brought your coffee.” Without looking up, Joey pushed his mug towards her. She made her way over and started pouring the coffee. She couldn’t see much of his face, but what she could see was red and tear-stained.  

“Mr. Drew?”

“Yes?”

She took a deep breath. She knew it was probably a bad idea to poke the bear, but she did want to make an effort to try and remedy the situation.

“Are you alright?”

There was a long pause. Joey lifted his head out of his hands, turning to look at her. He looked defeated and utterly exhausted. He stared at her for a moment, their eyes meeting. Cordelia had always found Joey’s eyes strange. The color was ordinary enough, a lovely brown color, but they were often flat and lifeless when compared to his boisterous expressions.  

“No. I’m really not.” He finally said, looking away. He pulled the coffee mug toward him, staring into the contents. “Miss Bell, have you ever lost someone you cared about?”

“I…I have.” She set her lips in a thin line. Her parents had died a few months back, shortly after the first anniversary of her first day at the studio. Joey and Henry had been understanding, of course, giving her some time off to take care of everything. She came back to work as soon as she’d been able, unable to stay in that empty house, surrounded by the memories of her parents. The one bright spot was that it had jolted Roy back into being a functioning human being.

“He’ll be back, won’t he?” Joey murmured, taking a spoon and beginning to stir the coffee. “We’re friends. He wouldn’t just leave me like this.” Cordelia hesitated, clutching the coffee pot to his chest. Henry wasn’t coming back. She knew this perfectly well. But she wasn’t going to just tell Joey that.

“Miss Bell?”

“Yes, sir?”

“You’re not going to leave me, are you?”

She halted her progress to the door. “P-Pardon me, sir?”

“You aren’t going to leave me, are you?” Joey looked up at her, smiling. His smile didn’t reach up to his eyes. They were cold and distant, like those of a dead man.

“Unless you fire me, I don’t think so.” She knew her smile likely looked fake at this point. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

“Go on.” Joey said. “I’m not going anywhere.” Cordelia left his office so quickly she nearly broke the coffee pot. She stopped in the break room to top the pot off, then set about providing the rest of the studio with coffee. By the time she’d gotten to Sammy, her hands were shaking so hard she could barely pour properly.

“You need to sit down.” Sammy said flatly, taking the coffee pot from her.

“What’s wrong?” Susie was also in the room, rushing to the younger girl’s side. “Did something happen?”

“I-It’s nothing.” Cordelia tried to get herself back under control. In the back of her mind, she was delighted to see Sammy and Susie together.

“Joey didn’t do something to you, did he?” Sammy asked.

“No. He just...He said something strange.” She didn’t fight the music director as he firmly directed her to the cot in the corner of the room. “He...He asked if I was going to leave him too. There was just something about the way he said it. It was just...” She stopped and chewed at her lip. “I don’t know. It was unsettling.”

“Well, unsettling is practically Joey’s middle name.” Sammy said.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, sweetie.” Susie assured her.

“Susie!” The band leader’s voice echoed down the hall. “We’re ready for you.” Susie looked apologetically to Cordelia before excusing herself to get back to work. Cordelia stayed on the cot in Sammy’s office for a few more minutes before heading out. As she went towards the band room, she paused at the organ room. She could hear Johnny playing. So she paused and went inside. Johnny had his back to her, banging away on the organ.

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“Oh!” He turned around quickly. “Uh, yeah. How’re you?”

“A little shaken up.” She admitted. “Mr. Drew’s acting weird.”

“Weirder than usual, I’m assuming?”

“He asked if I was going to leave him. He had a dead look in his eyes.” She folded her hands in front of her. “I... I’m scared.”

“If you’re scared, you should get out.” Johnny said. “You could always get a factory job or something.”

“I’m sure it’ll blow over.” She found herself saying. “That’s what Mr. Lawrence said.”

“Well...If you say so.” Johnny didn’t seem at all convinced, but he let her go. She retreated to the projection room, where Norman was predictably camped out.

“Shouting match got you shaken up?” He asked as she huddled in her usual corner. She just nodded. Norman sighed heavily, lowering himself onto the chair beside her.

“Mr. Drew certainly is a strange one, isn’t he?”

“Mm hm.”

“I should quit.” Norman leaned back in his chair. “Mr. Stein was pretty much the only thing keeping Mr. Drew sane. With him gone, things’ll go to Hell in a pretty little handbasket.”

“That’s very comforting, thank you.” Cordelia mumbled bitterly.

“I’m not gonna sugar coat it for you, girl.” Norman said. “You’re not a child, you deserve to know the full weight of the situation.”

“That’s....Thank you. I appreciate that.” Few people actually treated her like she was an adult. She was short and baby-faced, and at the same time so unbelievably naive.

“You’re welcome.” Norman smiled slightly. “Now, you should probably get back to work before someone notices you’re gone.” Cordelia nodded and got to her feet, brushing off her dress.

“Thank you again, Mr. Polk!”

“Don’t mention it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Mr. Drew brought in this...ink machine from a company called Gent. A man named Thomas Connor is in charge of the matinence. He seems alright, even if he is kind of gruff. I don’t know what exactly it’s supposed to do. It’s big and ugly and the pipes keep bursting. The music department’s flooded at least three times in the past week alone. Mr. Lawrence is getting fed up with it and he’s gone to complain more than once. Mr. Drew keeps brushing it off though. Mr. Connor’s doing his best to fix all the problems as they come, but there’s only so much he can do. No matter how many times he patches the pipes, they just burst again. I’ve been going up to deliver the complaints lately since Mr. Lawrence might lose his job if he says some of this stuff to Mr. Drew’s face. I’m expendable, Mr. Lawrence isn’t. Miss Susie says I shouldn’t worry so much, but I can’t help it. These people are like family to me. I don’t want any of them to suffer._

 

Thomas Connor was a nice enough man. He was a gruff and abrasive man at times, but never malicious or disrespectful. She’d first met him when she’d gone to give Joey his morning coffee, and found an unfamiliar man seated across from her boss. Their conversation halted, and Joey smiled at Cordelia.

“Ah, good morning Miss Bell!” Joey said. “I’d like you to meet Thomas Connor! He’s going to be building the Ink Machine and maintaining it. I’m going to introduce him to the rest of the studio later, so you’re the first to meet him! Mr. Connor, this is Cordelia Bell, Sammy’s assistant.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Bell.” Thomas took Cordelia’s free hand and shook it.

“Um, you as well.” She’d heard whisperings about the ink machine, they all had. It was Joey’s crazy little pet project, the use of which none of them were sure of. She’d half expected the builder of said machine to be some crazy scientist. He looked so...ordinary. He had a day-old beard, squinted a little when Joey pointed at the diagrams, and wore a slightly rumpled jumpsuit with grease stains on it. The two men went back to talking once she started pouring the coffee, as if she wasn’t there.

“So you’re sure it can do what you promised.” Joey said, staring down Thomas with his trademark smile.

“You’re asking a lot of the company.” Thomas replied, leaning back in his chair. “You’ll get your machine, but I can’t promise it will do everything you want it to.” This obviously hadn’t been the answer Joey had been looking for. His expression soured.

“I thought you were supposed to be the best.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Drew, there’s a limit to what we’re capable of doing.” Thomas remained unperturbed. “We **are** the best, but we can’t perform miracles.” He glanced at Cordelia and she froze in her tracks. Her eyes met his and her heart nearly stopped for a moment.

“Mind filling me up?” He asked, holding a mug out to her.

“O-Of course.” She laughed nervously and poured the coffee into his cup. Roy was right, she _was_ too jumpy. Thomas seemed like a perfectly reasonable man.

“Thank you.” Thomas took a sip of his coffee before turning his attention back to Joey. “We can build your machine, but I can’t promise it will do everything you want it to.”

“Fine, fine.” Joey waved a hand dismissively to Cordelia. “Miss Bell, you can go.”

“Call me if you need anything.” She bobbed a quick curtsy and scurried out. As she opened the door, she ran right into Johnny, who it appeared had been eavesdropping. Cordelia pursed her lips and grabbed him by the ear, shutting the door behind her.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” She said.

“Ow! I was just curious!” He whined, trying to wrestle himself from her grip.

“Well, there’s nothing to worry about.” She let go. “Mr. Connor seems perfectly ordinary. Now I have to go give everyone else coffee and I know Norman will be looking for you.”

“Not too hard.” Johnny muttered, hands in his pockets. “The organ parts hardly ever come up.”

“Then you can go pretend you’re the Phantom like you always do when you’re bored.” Cordelia said, already heading towards the break room. Johnny went bright red and scrambled after her.

“Not so loud!” He hissed. “Wally and Sammy would never let me live it down if he found out I do that!”

“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “It’s cute. And at least you’re well read.”

“That a crack at me?” Wally asked. Neither had noticed he was already in the break room.

“I’d never do that.” Cordelia’s playful energy evaporated as she began to wring her hands. “You know that, right?”

“Sheesh, lil lady, you gotta stop being so serious.” Wally said, slapping her back. Cordelia laughed nervously. Of course Wally wouldn’t be mad at her.

“Anyway, what’s this about the organ?” Wally asked with a sly smile.

“Nothing! Nevermind!” Johnny turned around and ran as though his life depended on it.

“Geez, he’s jumpy.” Wally said. “So, you saw that Thomas Connor guy, right? What do you think of him?”

Cordelia shrugged. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. He seems pretty normal.”

“So, not a mad scientist.”

“No.” She laughed. “Not a mad scientist.”

“Y’know, I’m kinda disappointed.” Wally said. “Would’ve been cool if he’d been some weird mad scientist. I’ve never met one of those.” He snickered, but Cordelia’s mood had soured.

“Even if he _is_ normal, Mr. Drew’s still slipping.” She said, lowering her voice. Joey wasn’t nearly as far gone as she’d feared, but she knew he was teetering on the very brink of sanity. The littlest of things could probably send him over the edge.

“You worry too much.” Wally said. “Joey’s mental state isn’t your problem.”

“I’m just...I’m scared he’ll do something drastic.” Cordelia began to fidget, her eyes darting from the coffee pot to the curly haired janitor. “I don’t want him to hurt any of us.” Wally sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“You’re a sweet kid, but I think you’re overthinking this a little.” He said. “Joey’s crazy, but he’s not violent. You’re worrying too much.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” She forced herself to smile. “Thanks, Wally.”

 

The next few weeks were rather hectic. There were people from the Gent company in and out at all hours of the day. A lot of new machines were installed in different parts of the studio. Some of them converted ink into usable objects, which was honestly incredible to Cordelia. She’d never seen anything like it before in her life. Others, she wasn’t allowed to see. No one was allowed to see the Ink Machine that Joey had been so excited about. No one but Joey, Wally, and Thomas. For a little bit, everything was fine. They got used to all the pipes carrying the ink through the studioThen the stairwell started flooding. The first time had resulted in a rather spectacular rant from Sammy, and it had only gone downhill from there. With each successive flooding, Sammy’s yelling grew louder and his curses less eloquent. No matter how many times Thomas or Wally fixed the pipes, they kept bursting, to the point that Wally would just half-heartedly stick tape or something over it. He had so much work on his plate that some of the interns got roped into janitorial duty. Even Johnny took a turn.

“What’s the point of this machine, anyway?” Johnny grumbled as he and Cordelia mopped up ink from another burst pipe. “Even Mr. Connor doesn’t seem like he knows what it does, and he built the thing.”

“You ask that as though I have an answer.” She said, wiping her forehead with the back of one gloved hand.

“Do you think Joey even knows what he’s doing?” Johnny stabbed the mop at the ground.

“We shouldn’t talk about this.” Cordelia said quickly. “If Joey hears us talking-” She was interrupted by the familiar sound of Sammy’s swearing. The man himself appeared, covered in ink, his face almost beet red.

“I’M GOING TO THROTTLE THAT SMARMY CUNT! THE WHOLE DAY’S WORK! RUINED BY THAT STUPID FUCKING MACHINE!” He roared, storming towards the stairs that led to the animation department and Joey’s office. Cordelia quickly got in front of him.

“Mr. Lawrence, I think you should let me talk to him.” She said. “If you go up there in your current state, you’ll get fired.” Sammy gritted his teeth, unwilling to admit she was right. After a minute or so he hunched his shoulders and snatched the mop away from Cordelia.

“I’m going to find Franks. Or Connor.” He snapped before storming off. Johnny stared after him, then looked to Cordelia.

“And you say you have no negotiating skills.” He said, smirking.

“Shut up.” She swatted at his shoulder before making her way up to Joey’s office. She could feel herself beginning to shake as she got to Joey’s door. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

“M-Mr. Drew?”

Joey looked up from a book he had open on his desk. He closed it quickly when he saw her, but she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of some sort of summoning circle.

“Ah, hello Miss Bell.” Joey donned his signature smile. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s about the ink machine, sir.” She said. “It flooded the stairwell again, and Mr. Lawrence is really angry.”

“Hmm. Well, send Franks to fix it. I’ll talk to Mr. Connor to see if the machine needs repairs.” Joey said, shifting in his chair to turn on the PA. Cordelia pursed her lips and turned to leave.

“Oh, Miss Bell?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Keep up the good work.”

“Of course, sir.”

As soon as she cleared the door she made a beeline for Sammy’s office. He was probably still angry and the quicker she could defuse the situation the better things would likely turn out. Sammy was in his office with Wally and Susie, all three of them hard at work mopping up the ink that was all over the floor.

“Well, I told him.” Cordelia said, taking a mop and joining the three of them.

“What’d he say?” Wally asked.

“He’ll talk to Mr. Connor about it. And that I should send Wally to try and fix the pipes.”

“Great.” Sammy growled. “Connor’s going to bang around in the machine again and it’s not going to do anything.”

“You could at least pretend you have some faith.” Susie said.

“This place is going to shit.” Sammy stabbed at the ground with his mop. “We should get out while we can before Joey loses more of his marbles.”

“Well, you know what I always say.” Wally said.

“Yeah, you’re outta here, we get it.” Sammy rolled his eyes. “You keep saying that but you never leave.”

“I have a feeling I’m gonna be outta here pretty soon.” Wally’s voice grew uncharacteristically solemn.

“Why do you say that?” Cordelia asked.

“One of these days, losing my keys is gonna get me fired.” Wally grinned, then left. Those left in the office were silent, going back to cleaning. Cordelia’s chest felt tight.

“I’ll go find Mr. Connor.” She mumbled, running out. It took a while to find Thomas. The studio had grown so much over the past few months, and Cordelia was never quite sure where in the massive studio the resident handyman would be. She found him on level 9, tinkering with some pipes. He sighed as he heard her approach.

“Let me guess, the stairwell’s flooded again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Which means a pipe burst.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thomas sighed again, turning and walking past her. “I’ll go talk to Drew. We’ll see what we can do about it.”

“Thank you, sir.” Cordelia nodded meekly. She didn’t like being in these new sections, so far underground. Norman might have liked to hide in the newly created bowels, but she certainly didn’t. She always felt like she was trapped. Before she knew it, she found herself alone. She glanced back at the giant robotic Alice above the ‘She’s Quite A Gal’ sign. It almost felt like the eyes were following her. She had a feeling things were only going to get worse from here.


	6. Interlude

Voice of Harriet Jackman

_In all my years as a doctor, I’ve never seen anything quite like Joey Drew Studios. This place started out normal enough, but it’s really gone off the rails lately. Why Drew thought it would be a good idea to put in that ink machine is beyond me. People have been coming in with ink poisoning every day now. In addition, with all the ink puddles around, people have been slipping and breaking bones, or else hitting their heads and giving themselves concussions. Fain’s got the worst of it with all the time he spends down in those pipe rooms. Worst of all, when I take my concerns to Drew, he just brushes them off. He’s not taking me at all seriously, even though he hired me to take care of everyone in this studio! The audacity of that man! I would leave, but someone has to make sure no one here dies. Especially Drew and Lawrence. If those two worked any harder I’d be worried they’d collapse of heart attacks. And then there’s that girl Cordelia. She’s a jumpy little thing. If things get any worse, I think she might get herself seriously hurt. We all might get hurt if Drew continues down the path he’s on._

 

Harriet Jackman had a lot of feelings about Joey Drew, and none of them were positive. He was a smooth-talking idealist who never considered the consequences of his actions. The ink machine was a good example of this. The whole studio was complaining about that damn machine and Joey never did anything about it. Connor was dealing with it as best he could, but it was obvious that the project had gone far beyond anything he could have anticipated. Right now, Harriet was dealing with _another_ employee who had slipped and fallen in an ink puddle. She’d just finished treating Jack for the same thing, but the lyricist had completely ignored her instructions to keep his weight off it and had immediately sprinted back downstairs to get away.

“Go home and get some rest.” She said after wrapping the poor boy’s ankle. “And keep your weight off it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The boy, a banjo player named Drake, said. Before he could get up, the door to the infirmary slammed open, and an irate Joey Drew stormed in.

“What’s this I hear about you sending **_my_** workers home?!” He demanded. “I need everyone here!” Drake took one look at his boss and made a beeline for the front door, leaving Harriet and Joey alone in the infirmary.

“Mr. Drew, _your_ employees are seriously injured,” Harriet replied coolly. “They can’t work like that. I’m doing the responsible thing, the **legal** thing, by sending them home to rest.”

“You’re going over my head, Mrs. Jackman!” Joey roared.

“ _Doctor_ Jackman.” It was hard to keep the venom out of her voice. “Mr. Drew, if you aren’t going to treat me with respect, I’m perfectly happy to leave.”

“Right. Doctor. I’m sorry.” Joey exhaled sharply. “I meant no disrespect. I just...I need everyone I can here.”

“I understand that, but you can’t force your employees to work in these conditions.” Harriet continued. “There’s ink everywhere all the time, it’s a hazard! Do you have any idea how many people I’ve sent to the hospital with ink poisoning?”

“It’s not that big a deal.” Joey said, leaning heavily on Harriet’s desk.

“Yes, it is.” She insisted. “Ink poisoning can result in nervous system damage! You could paralyze innocent children!”

“It’s all for the greater good!” Joey roared, slamming his hand on the desk. “So, what if a few kids suffer? I’m going to do something amazing!” Harriet stared at him, her mouth wide open.

“Mr. Drew, you need help. Professional help.” She whispered.

“I’m fine!”

“No, you most certainly are not!” She turned away from him, beginning to pack up her things. She had to get out of here. There was no way she could stay with someone like Joey Drew as her boss. She had to call the police too. The man was deranged!

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?! I’m leaving!” She said, closing her bag. “You’re a madman, Joey Drew! And I can’t work under you any longer!” Joey couldn’t move fast enough to stop her from running out of the studio.


	7. Chapter 7

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Miss Susie was.... replaced. I-I don’t know why. She was doing everything right! She never complained, never missed a day of work, was never late! But...she’s been replaced. She’s been by the house a lot to talk with Roy. I hear her crying whenever she comes over. The new voice actress is a woman named Allison Pendle. I... I don’t like her. I know it’s wrong of me to dislike her just because she replaced Miss Susie. Sammy seems to think she’s alright, so I know I shouldn’t be so mean. I don’t think anyone else cares. They’re just trying to do their job and get on with it all. Miss Susie is…She’s not okay. I’m worried about her._

 

When Cordelia headed to Sammy’s office that morning with her coffee tray, she was greeted by the sound of a shouting match.

“What’s going on?” She caught Jack by the arm. The lyricist was headed for the lower levels, as he usually did.

“Apparently Susie isn’t taking kindly to the fact that Sammy hasn’t rejected the new voice actress.” Jack glanced towards Sammy’s office. “I don’t want to be here when she gets out.” Cordelia let go, allowing him to run down to the infirmary. She chewed on her lip and drew closer.

“She’s just doing her job, Susie! It’s not her fault!”

“She stole my role! It’s mine!” Susie sounded on the verge of tears, practically wailing.

“It’s just a role. You can get another one.”

“No! You don’t understand! Alice is a part of me!”

“Alice is a character. You shouldn’t let yourself be defined by her.” Sammy’s voice softened and Cordelia heard the creak of the floorboards as he crossed the room. “Studios around the country would kill to get their hands on you. Why don’t you take one of them up on their offer?”

“B-But Alice-”

“Forget Alice. You’ll have other roles, Susie. You are so much more than her.”

After that, there was silence. Cordelia knocked gently, taking this as a sign that things had calmed down.

“Come in,” Sammy said. Cordelia gingerly opened the door, peeking inside to make sure everything was alright. Susie stood by the pump switch, arms folded and her back to Cordelia. Sammy stood a few feet away, looking worn out.

“I brought coffee,” Cordelia said weakly.

“Thanks. Put it on the desk, will you?” Sammy nodded towards her.

“Yes, sir.” Cordelia walked over, removing a cup and putting it onto the desk, next to the sheet music Sammy had been working on.

“You don’t understand what Alice means to me. You don’t understand how important she is, Sammy.” Susie whispered. “And you never will. I was stupid to think you’d be on my side. You’re just like Joey.” Then she turned, slapped him, and stormed out of the office.

“What…What was that?” Cordelia asked, staring dumbfounded after the voice actress.

“You know how Susie got replaced, right?” Sammy rubbed his cheek. “She’s not taking it well.”

“But why is she blaming you?”

“She’s just lashing out.” Sammy sighed, settling down at his desk. He sounded so tired, so defeated. Cordelia couldn’t help but be worried.

“Are you alright, sir?” She asked.

“I know she doesn’t mean it, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.” Sammy stared down at his work. Cordelia set down her coffee tray and put a tentative hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault.” She tried to be reassuring. She had a feeling he was beating himself up over this. Sammy smiled slightly and patted her hand.

“You should get back to work.” He said. “But…Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome, sir.” Cordelia picked her tray back up and went back to work. Things proceeded normally until lunch.

“Mind if I sit with you?” Cordelia looked up from her packed lunch. The new voice actress, Allison, stood over her. Allison brushed some of her dark hair away from her face, smiling a little nervously.  

“Go ahead,” Cordelia mumbled, avoiding looking at Allison. Part of her was terrified to be caught talking to Allison. She’d seen the way Susie had reacted to Sammy’s supposed betrayal.

“Are you upset because I took Miss Campbell’s job?” Allison asked, settling down beside her. “I didn’t mean to upset her so much.”

“It takes time to get used to change, ma’am.”

“Don’t give me that ma’am, crap.” Allison frowned slightly. “You’re not that much younger than me. I really do want to be friends. We’re going to be working together a lot. Besides, girls have to stick together.”

“I suppose you have a point.” Cordelia stared down at her sandwich. Susie had said something similar when they’d first met. But then Susie had gone off the rails.

“So…How did you start working here anyway?” Allison leaned on her hand, kicking her feet back and forth.

“I saw an ad in the paper,” Cordelia answered, taking another bite of her sandwich. “You?”

“Joey picked me up from another cartoon studio,” Allison said. “I was doing bit parts. He said I looked just like Alice Angel!” Her eyes sparkled, which made Cordelia feel sick.

“You should be careful around Mr. Drew.” She said.

“Why?” Allison asked, tilting her head to the side. “He’s a good man, isn’t he?”

 “Well…” Cordelia floundered for a solid reason. She just had a bad feeling about him at this point. There was no proof. “He just…He gives me a bad feeling, is all.”

“Well, alright.” Allison looked a little concerned. “You know, Mr. Lawrence told me the same thing when I came in.”

“Yeah, Sammy doesn’t trust many people.” Cordelia couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

“But he trusts you.”

“Yeah. He does.” She smiled softly, staring down at the table. She always felt special, knowing that she was one of the few people in the studio Sammy truly trusted. It made her feel warm inside.

“Are you two…an item?” Allison asked cautiously. Immediately, Cordelia went bright red and started to sputter.

“A-An item?!” She stammered. “Oh God no! He’s like a big brother to me!”

“Sorry.” Allison laughed softly. “You two are just so close. I kinda thought…Well…It was a little stupid.” She shrugged her shoulders, playing with a piece of her hair.

“I-It’s fine.” Cordelia tried desperately to regain her composure. “I suppose it’s not surprising that some people would think that.” For a few moments, the two of them sat in silence. Then Cordelia asked the question that had been on her mind since Allison had sat down with her.

“Why did you _really_ come to talk to me?” She asked. “Because there are other female employees in this place.” Not many, at this point, but there were some. Allison hesitated, continuing to play with her hair.

“I’ve wanted to be a voice actress ever since the job started being a thing.” She finally said, her bravado fading. “I just wanted to make it. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. All the other employees don’t want to talk to me because they don’t want to make Campbell mad.” Cordelia patted her back tentatively.

“I’m sure Miss Susie doesn’t hate you.” She tried to assure her.

“Could’ve fooled me.” Allison snorted. “The way she looks at me…It’s like I’m her worst enemy.”

“This role just means a lot to her.”

“It means a lot to me too.” Allison insisted. “I love Alice Angel!”

“You think love is enough?” Everyone froze at the sound of Susie’s voice. Allison and Cordelia turned around slowly to see Susie at the top of the break room stairs. The older voice actress looked far more disheveled than she usually did. She’d been crying again.

“Alice is a part of me!” Susie yelled. “You can’t just take her away from me! She’s mine!”

“Miss Campbell,” Allison began, getting up from her seat. “I’m not trying to take-”

“Don’t you dare try to defend yourself, you little hussy.” Susie snarled, grabbing the railing and leaning over. “You’re nothing but a two-bit harlot! You’re probably sleeping with Joey, aren’t you?!”

“Miss Susie!” Cordelia got up. “You can’t just talk to her like that!”

“Stay out of this, Cordelia!” Susie didn’t take her eyes off of Allison. “This has nothing to do with you!” Allison was starting to cry now, desperately trying to hide her face in her hands. The other employees began to whisper amongst each other.

“Campbell!” Joey’s voice boomed from outside the break room. “My office. Now.” Susie gritted her teeth but let go and stormed out. Allison retreated to a corner to sob.

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” She kept murmuring to herself. “Why is she such a bitch?”

Cordelia returned to her seat and wolfed down her sandwich. Once she was finished, she made herself busy, doing everything she could to neither be seen nor heard, tricks she’d picked up from Norman. Things returned to normal, or as normal as they could be. But Susie...The damage had been done, Cordelia could tell. Her fear about Joey’s condition spread to a fear about Susie. Susie was clearly not alright. Something was up with her, but Cordelia didn’t have time to process it. She had work to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Mr. Drew decided to build a theme park in the basement of the studio. So that’s a thing that’s happening now. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything Mr. Drew does anymore. Mr. Piedmont, the man designing the park, is a bit…well, he’s kind of a prick if I’m being honest. But given Mr. Drew’s…everything, I can’t blame him for acting the way he does. He’s nice enough when he’s not around Mr. Drew. I don’t think the park will ever actually get off the ground, though. The studio’s already starting to take a bit of a nosedive. Grant’s having a heart attack because of all the spending Mr. Drew’s doing. I never mentioned Grant before, have I? He’s the studio accountant. He doesn’t leave his office much, but he’s pretty nice. I feel bad for him._

 

Bertram Piedmont could be a decidedly unpleasant person. He had a sizeable ego and did not take kindly to that ego being stepped on. His unpleasantness seemed to grow when he was around Joey since the two of them were engaged in a sort of creative dick measuring contest. When he wasn’t around Joey, though, he was a decent enough man. He respected hard work and perseverance. But Cordelia always seemed to catch him on his bad days. Still, she wanted to make him feel a little bit better.

“You’re wasting your time with that one.” Lacie had told her. “He’s a stubborn one. Always thinks showing kindness is a weakness in the eyes of competitors or some shit like that.” Cordelia didn’t visit her too terribly often due to the huge trek going down to the lower levels required. Lacie seemed perfectly happy to be left in peace.

“I know.” Cordelia sighed, setting her coffee tray down. “I just…I don’t know.”

“Just keep your head down and do your work,” Lacie said. “Don’t go putting your nose where it doesn’t belong. You’ll get hurt.” She had a similar worldview to Norman and gave similar advice. It wasn’t surprising, given that they were cousins. Both seemed to have adopted Cordelia, commenting often that she was far too naïve and kind for the studio.

“Okay.”

“Now run along. I’m sure Mr. Drew’s looking for you.” Lacie gave Cordelia a small smile and shooed her out. Cordelia left Lacie’s little sanctuary and went back into the main warehouse.

“Wanna go on the haunted house ride with me?” One of the warehouse employees asked, giving her a wink. “You’ve probably got nerves of steel from working with Lawrence all day.”

“Oh, I can’t.” She stammered, feeling the color rising in her cheeks. “I have to get back to work.”

“Maybe another time then.” He shrugged and went back to his coworkers, all of whom were trying to beat Lacie’s score on the shooting gallery. Cordelia couldn’t help but smile to herself as she went up to Bertram’s office to deliver his coffee. Normally, other employees didn’t flirt with her too much. They all knew how protective Sammy could be over his little assistant. But it always flattered her when someone was genuinely nice and interested in her. She made her way up the stairs and found Bertram arguing with Joey. Not, in itself, an uncommon sight. It seemed like everyone was arguing with Joey these days. So, she just walked on in without a second thought.

“And in front of all those investors too!” Bertram shouted.

“I give all my employees nicknames,” Joey said, lounging in his chair as though the other man wasn’t yelling at him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Mr. Drew, I am not a child. I do not need a nickname.” Bertram growled. But Joey had stopped listening. He looked over to see Cordelia and his eyes lit up.

“Miss Bell!” He hopped up and walked over. “So good to see you. I was wondering if you’ve gotten a chance to test out any of the games yet.”

“No, sir.” She shook her head slowly, a little taken aback by the question. “Why? Do you want me to test the games?”

“I just thought you’d be a good stand-in for the average consumer.” Joey slapped her back, causing her to pitch forward a little. “You don’t have any real specialized skills that could give you an advantage in the games and all.”

“No, sir, I don’t.” Cordelia’s expression slipped into one of passive irritation. She was aware she didn’t have any specialized skills, but she kept everyone stocked with coffee and ink and paper after all. She did whatever needed doing. Speaking of that…

“Wally mentioned something about needing some help cleaning up ink spills on level 9, so I should probably get going.” She set the coffee cups down and started to walk away, but Joey caught her by the wrist.

“You can do that in a moment.” He said. “Right now, Bertie has something he needs you to help with. Isn't that right?”

“You’re going to send _her_ to do maintenance on the carousel?” Bertram said dryly. “For Heaven’s sake, Mr. Drew, she’s not even trained.”

“It’s just tightening a few bolts.” Joey shrugged. “She’s done that sort of thing before.” It was true, she had. Sometimes Wally needed help fixing the pipes and she was forced to help out since they were perpetually understaffed. She’d gotten rather good at it if she did say so herself.

“Very well.” Bertram rolled his eyes. “Follow me, Miss Bell.” Cordelia nodded and grabbed a toolbox, following Bertram to the room where the carousel was kept. She was a little excited, she had to admit. The carousel was Bertram’s pet project and practically no one was allowed near it. She held the toolbox close to her chest as he led her inside.

“Tighten the bolts on the arms.” He instructed her. “I’ll be watching, so you’d best not make any mistakes.” No pressure, right?

“Yes, sir.” She got to work quickly, tightening each specified bolt. Her hands slipped a few times due to how much she was sweating, but she managed to finish in record time. Bertram almost seemed impressed.

“How many times have you been forced to do this sort of thing?” He asked.

“A few.” Cordelia shrugged slightly, replacing the wrench. “Mr. Franks needs a lot of help. He’s expected to do a lot of stuff in the studio and a lot of times he needs help.”

“Mm.” Bertram nodded, stroking his mustache in a way Cordelia associated with cartoon villains. “It’s a pity that you’ve been forced to do someone else’s job. Although given Mr. Franks demeanor, I suppose I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t mind,” Cordelia said with a big smile. “I’m just glad to be here.” Of course, her enjoyment of her workplace had certainly lessened in the years she’d worked at the studio. Bertram watched her before cracking a small smile.

“Your enthusiasm is refreshing.” He said. Cordelia stared at him for a moment. She hadn’t been aware his face was capable of making that kind of expression.

“Wipe that stupefied look off of your face.” And just like that, the expression was gone. “I am capable of smiling, you know.”

“Right, um, of course, sir.” She laughed nervously, self-consciously adjusting the bow in her hair.

“Get back to work.” He waved a hand dismissively and turned to leave.

“Of course, sir.” She went to pick up her toolbox. Bertram paused in the doorway and looked back, brows furrowed.

“I am curious.” He said. “How did you end up working here? I’ve heard stories from the others about the circumstances leading them here, but your situation doesn’t seem nearly as convoluted.”

“I needed the money, sir.” She shrugged. “I saw an ad in the paper and I took it.”

“Interesting.” He leaned on the door frame.

“Did you expect something else?” She asked.

“It’s just a rather…ordinary story.” He said. “Compared to those I’ve heard from the others.” He stood there, frowning at the air.

“What’s made you stay this long, Miss Bell?” He looked over at her. “If you don’t mind me asking.” She hesitated at this, staring down at her toolbox.

“These people are like family to me.” She said quietly. “I know it’s probably silly, but this is one of the first places I’ve ever really felt at home. I just…I’m scared if I leave…I’ll never be this happy again.” Bertram watched her curiously. Then he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You might not enjoy every job you have in your life.” He said. “But I do believe that you will find happiness one day, Miss Bell.” Then he got up and straightened his tie self-consciously, clearing his throat. “In any case, we should both get back to work.”

“O-Of course, sir.” She nodded and scrambled up and out of the room. She had to go help Wally, after all. Wally was covered in ink when she found him, standing under a broken pipe and cussing up a storm.

“Oh, that’s a bad one.” She walked up, holding an armful of towels.

“Yeah, no shit,” Wally muttered. “Hand me the wrench, will ya?” Cordelia set down the towels and dug around in his toolbox before handing it over.

“Where’s Mr. Connor?” She asked. “Surely he should be helping you.”

“Broke his leg. Won’t be back for a month.” Wally said, realigning the pipe and tightening the bolts. “Honestly, if I don’t get more help, I’m outta here.”

“You always say that.” Cordelia couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s like your catchphrase.”

“Yeah yeah.” Wally rolled his eyes. “How was your trip down to Bendy Hell, anyway?”

“I got to see the carousel~” She said in a sing-song voice. “I even got to do maintenance on it!”

“What?!” Wally sputtered. “No way! I can’t believe Piedmont let _you_ touch it!”

“Well, he didn’t want to. But I was there and Mr. Drew told him that I’d do it. So, I did.” She puffed out her chest in pride.

“Piedmont didn’t corner you afterward, did he?” Wally asked, narrowing his eyes. “I always hear him sayin’ stuff about you and Allison being too good for this place or something.”

“No. He didn’t do anything like that.” She got a strangely soft expression on her face. “He’s…He’s not as bad as I thought he was.”

“Really?” Wally seemed rather surprised. “Would’ve thought he’d be talking about what a ‘nice girl’ you are and how you should think about what your future husband wants or somethin’ like that.”

“He’s not that bad.” Cordelia rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to push Wally into the ink puddle. She had heard things like that before from investors, but never from Bertram.

“Honestly, I can’t imagine you ever getting married.” Wally continued. “Sammy and Roy would eat the guy alive.”

“If I want to get married, I’ll get married. But it’ll be on my terms.” Cordelia put her hands on her hips. “Unless the right guy comes along, I’m gonna stay single and pursue my career.”

“You sound like Susie.” Wally grimaced a little. “Don’t go too crazy on that whole career thing, got it?”

“Got it.” Cordelia seemed to deflate a little at the mention of Susie. They went back to work a moment later. The moment had been ruined. They just wanted to work and forget about it.


	9. Chapter 9

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Things are getting pretty bad. The studio has been flooding even more, and I think Sammy is on his way to a complete mental breakdown. Wally got fired last week for forgetting his keys for the millionth time. That’s probably the most normal thing that’s happened in the past few weeks, but I wish he hadn’t left. I need someone else to confide in. Sammy has been so on edge that I don’t want to burden him any more than he already is, and Miss Susie’s…Well, she’s not in any condition to be listening to me. She’s been spending a lot of time with Joey. At least I can hide Mr. Polk or Mr. Fain if things get too bad. They’ve been really nice about this whole thing. And on the bright side, Mr. Connor and Allison have been getting along really well! I think they really like each other! But that doesn’t make anything better. People have been saying they’ve seen a demon in the lower levels. One that looks an awful lot like Bendy. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. But I don’t like it._

 

Things hadn’t gotten any better. Everyone was overtaxed and overworked and things just kept getting worse. No matter how many times Thomas tried to fix the machine, it kept bursting pipes and leaking ink everywhere. Wally was gone, as expected because he had forgotten his keys for the umpteenth time, so Cordelia had been shoved into the role of janitor. This was in addition to the coffee and paper duty she already had. Eventually, they just let the ink continue dripping, until it because a big problem that was. Like when it flooded the stairwell. Again. Cordelia stared down the stairs at the pool of ink. At that moment, she felt like crying.

“Hey Cordelia, what’s going- Oh shit!” Johnny walked up behind her. “Again?!”

“Again.”

“What the fuck is Mr. Connor even doing?!”

“I’m doing the best I can, kid.” Both Johnny and Cordelia jumped, turning around to find Thomas Connor himself standing right behind them. He looked even more tired than they did.

“Oh, uh, hey Mr. Connor.” Johnny smiled nervously. “H-How’s it going?”

“Could be better.” Thomas shrugged. “This is all getting ridiculous.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Have you been getting enough sleep, Mr. Connor?” Cordelia asked.

“Have any of us?” Thomas replied, stifling a yawn. “I’ll figure out how to drain the stairwell. You kids get back to work.”

“Of course, sir.” Johnny nodded, stepping out of the mechanic’s way. He and Cordelia waited until Thomas was gone to exchange a worried glance.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Johnny asked.

“I honestly don’t know if any of us are going to be okay,” Cordelia admitted. “But at least he has Miss Allison. She won’t let him push himself too far.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Johnny nodded. “Anyway, um, I should go.”

“Me too.”

Eventually, the stairwell did get drained and she was sent downstairs to deliver coffee to Shawn in the toy department.

“Shawn?” She pushed the door open with her hip. “I have coffee, do you want some?” Shawn waved his paintbrush in a mock greeting.

“Mr. Drew’s already yellin’ at me for paintin’ the smiles crooked.” He muttered. “Caffeine will only make it worse.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” He said, turning back to look at her. He, as usual, had ink and paint all over his face, hands, and clothing. “You’re a wee bit late, though. Did the stairwell flood again?”

“It did.”

“That makes three times this week, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

Shawn clicked his tongue, tucking his paintbrush behind his ear. “This keeps up, I’m definitely gonna quit.”

“That would probably be wise,” Cordelia admitted. Things were getting bad enough that even she didn’t want to be there anymore. She did feel a little bad for Alison, having to come into all this. But she was strong, and she had Thomas. Shawn hesitated for a moment, then stood up.

“Fuck it. I’m gonna go tell him I quit.” He said, brushing past Cordelia. She sighed and followed, heading to the lower levels so she wouldn’t have to hear the ensuing shouting match. Grant’s office was down far enough that she wouldn’t have to hear anything for the time it would take Shawn to quit. She found him slumped over on his desk, groaning. Papers were littered all over the office and he was clearly disheveled.

“Mr. Cohen?”

“If you’re here to bring me coffee, put it on the desk.” Grant gestured to an open space between the papers.

“Is all this because of Mr. Drew?” Cordelia asked, putting the coffee down.

“Thanks to his genius idea to build a theme park in the basement, yes.” Grant nodded, finally sitting up. His eyes were bloodshot and had large bags under them.

“Sir, when was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”

“Sleep is for the weak.” Grant yawned. “I have to finish these expense reports.”

“…Alright, sir.” She nodded slowly and headed back upstairs. She still had to check on the band room. Allison was singing an Alice Angel song while the band played. Cordelia waited for the song to finish before offering the voice actress a glass of water.

“You’re a doll,” Alison said, taking the glass.

“No problem.” Cordelia murmured, avoiding eye contact. She heard stomping and the front door slamming shut.

“What was that about?”

“Shawn quit.”

“Mr. Drew won’t be happy.” Allison set her lips in a thin line. “Well, thanks for the drink.”

“It’s my job,” Cordelia said with a forced smile. Although for how much longer, she wasn’t sure.

“Are you alright?” Allison asked, putting the glass of water down. “You’re not going to have a panic attack, are you?” Cordelia felt even worse now that she’d gotten to know the other voice actress. Allison really was such a sweet woman.

“I’ll be fine.” Cordelia tried to assure her. “I just need to take a break.” She left the room as quickly as she could, heading down to the sewers. She needed to be alone for a little bit. Jack was rather surprised to see her but ushered her into his sanctuary nonetheless.

“What brings you down here?”  He asked. “You normally can’t stand the smell.”

“I needed to hide.” She took a deep shaking breath. “Shawn quit, so you know Mr. Drew’s going to be livid.”

“Great.” Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Mr. Drew’s already going off the rails. This’ll just make it worse.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Cordelia nodded, leaning against the wall. Jack looked up from the song lyrics he’d been working on and looked back at her.

“You don’t have to stay here.” He said. “I know everyone’s probably been telling you the same thing, but if you’re scared you should leave.”

“I know, I know. I just…I feel like I can’t.” She started to play with her hair, chewing on her lip.

“Stand up for yourself.” Jack gave her a smile. “You’ll feel better afterward.”

“Okay, Mr. Fain.”

She spent quite a while just sitting in the sewers with Jack before venturing back upstairs. She needed some coffee, she decided. Not really for the caffeine. She just needed something warm in her. In the break room, she found Allison bandaging Thomas’ arm.

“You have to be more careful.” The voice actress was saying. “Honestly, it’s like you don’t even care about your own safety.”

“It’s just a scratch,” Thomas mumbled. “Nothing to be worried about.” Allison huffed, tying off the bandage.

“You need to take a break.” She said. “You’re obviously tired and when you’re tired you get careless. And when you get careless you get hurt.”

“I’m fine, honestly. I have work I need to do.”

Cordelia smiled to herself as she watched them. The two of them made such a good couple. Allison was one of the few people who seemed to be able to override Thomas’ stubbornness.

“Miss Bell, could you come to my office, please?” She froze as she heard Joey’s voice over the PA system, almost dropped her coffee cup. For a moment, she just stood there. What could he possibly want? After a moment or two, she managed to calm herself enough to get moving. She made her way to the office, her heart pounding.

Both Susie and Joey were in the office together. Susie had been spending a lot of time with Joey lately. Cordelia really didn’t like it. She had the feeling that Joey was manipulating Susie somehow, but she couldn’t just say it outright. Susie didn’t trust her anymore. The two of them were talking quietly when Cordelia entered, stopping abruptly when she opened the door.

“There you are, Miss Bell.” Joey smiled brightly. “Come in, come in.” Cordelia stepped tentatively inside.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Drew?”

“No no.” He shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure you were available next week. We’re approaching an important deadline and I need to know that I can count on you.”

“I’ll be here.” She nodded, forcing herself to smile.

“Good good.” Joey nodded. “That’s all.” Susie kept her back to Cordelia, holding Joey’s hand with one of hers, thumb rubbing circles on his skin. Cordelia hesitated in the doorway before quickly taking her leave.


	10. Chapter 10

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I tried to commit suicide yesterday. It was a mistake, I know, but I was just so scared. I don’t know why I’m even recording this. I just want to talk it out, I guess. Everyone from the studio came and visited. Roy called them and told them what happened. They were all really worried. Mr. Drew didn’t come, though. I’m glad he didn’t, even though saying that makes me feel bad. I’m afraid of what he might have done if he’d shown up. There’s something wrong with him now. Before...Before I left yesterday, I saw him painting a pentagram on the floor of his office. I can’t go back there. Roy says I need help. I know I do. He says he’ll call Mr. Drew and inform him of my resignation. That makes me feel a little better, but I’m still scared. Not for myself, but for everyone who works in the studio. Especially Sammy. I think this job is all he has. I’m...I’m scared. -The recording devolves into quiet sobbing.-_

 

Roy Bell was not a people person. He’d pretended to be one as an actor, but his mask was gone now so he’d reverted to his more antisocial ways. He didn’t understand how his sister could be so cheery all the time. It could really get on his nerves sometimes. He loved his sister, he really did. He’d been happy when she’d gotten her dream job at Joey Drew Studios, even if he didn’t trust those people as far as he could throw them, especially that Joey character. But lately, things had been different. Cordelia hadn’t left the house as eagerly as she used to. She cried herself to sleep at night, and absolutely refused to talk about work.

“It’s going great.” She’d say, her smile far too wide. And now this had happened. He was sitting in the waiting room in a hospital because that damn studio had driven his sister to jump off a bridge. He was aching for a smoke, but he’d promised Cordelia he’d quit. He’d considered calling Susie, but given that Cordelia wasn’t on the best terms with at the moment, he’d reconsidered. He’d been sitting in the exact same chair for about an hour now. He’d called her coworkers, mostly because he’d figured she'd want to see Sammy, and now was waiting for them to arrive. It had to have been something at the studio. Suddenly the doors burst open and a group of people burst in, all yelling and clambering. Roy stood up, dusted himself off, and turned to the group.

“You’re the studio crew, I assume.” He said coolly. One of the taller men, who Roy recognized as Sammy Lawrence, stepped forward.

“Is she alright?” He asked. He did look worried. That was good. Cordelia thought so highly of Sammy, Roy would have hated to dislike the man.

“She has some broken bones, but the doctors have assured me she’ll be fine,” Roy said. “Now. Which one of you is Joey Drew?” A whisper rippled through the group before a small, dark-haired man stepped forward. Roy narrowed his eyes, sizing the man up. If the need arose, he decided he could easily eliminate the man.

“I’m Joey Drew. Why do you ask?”

“Great. Now I know who to turn in to the police.”

“The police?!” The group chorused, looking nervously to one another.

“Why are the police involved?” Joey demanded. “I haven’t done-”

“You did something.” Roy was a tall man, abnormally so, and even if he was thin as a rail, he cut a strikingly intimidating figure. “Because my sister certainly did not willingly consume a gallon of ink and slit her wrists. And when I mentioned you, she had an extremely adverse reaction.” He leaned down so he was eye level with Joey. “So. What. Did. You. Do?” The studio employees glanced at one another.

“Joey, what did you do?” Susie asked. They’d all heard what Drake had said after Dr. Jackman had quit, but none of them had wanted to believe Joey had really said something like that.

“I didn’t do anything wrong! Cordelia is a filthy liar!” Joey roared. Roy calmly took a deep breath, then backhanded Joey hard enough to knock the smaller man to the ground. No one made a move to help Joey up. They all just stared at their boss, stunned. Even Susie was left motionless.

“If you ever say anything like that about my sister again, mark my words, I will end you.” He said with a completely emotionless face. He knew full well he couldn’t press charges against the man with Cordelia in her current state. But he’d be damned if he was going to let Joey Drew get out of this unscathed.  

“She won’t press charges,” Joey growled, getting to his feet.

“That’s true. _She_ won’t.” Roy said. “I, however, am perfectly happy to if you continue to aggravate things.”

“And what do you count as aggravating things?” Joey asked.

“If you’re thinking of doing it, it’s probably a bad idea,” Sammy said.

“No one asked you, Lawrence!” Joey snapped.

“He’s right, though.” A small smile twitched on Roy’s lips. “In any case, all I ask is that you hand over Cordelia’s severance pay, or I will drag you through a very messy court battle.”

“You can pry that money from my cold dead hands,” Joey said.

“Mr. Drew, you know that’s highly unethical,” Grant said. “All employees were promised severance pay.”

“Cohen, no one asked you!”

“Mm.” Roy folded his arms. “Let me ask you, do you really want your reputation to be sullied like this? Do you want to be seen as the man who drove an innocent girl to suicide? Do you want your cartoons to forever be associated with this one thing?” Roy knew perfectly well that Joey Drew would do anything for his cartoons, which was likely the reason something bad had happened to Cordelia. Joey gritted his teeth.

“You’ll get the check by the end of the week.” He snarled, turning on his heel and stalking out. The group parted to allow him through. Roy stared stone-faced after him. Susie glanced from Roy to Joey, then turned and followed Joey.

“Tell her I’m sorry.” She whispered before disappearing.

“Can we see her?” A small dark-haired woman stepped forward, wringing her hands.

“She’s mostly stable, so yes,” Roy said. “But no big hugs. She’s got some broken ribs.” The studio crew ran past him and into Cordelia’s room. She was propped up on a mountain of pillows, almost every part of her body wrapped in bandages and casts. She looked pale and haggard. Her eyes fluttered open as she heard her coworkers enter the room.

“What...What are you doing here?” She croaked.

“Your brother called us.” Allison crossed the room to hold Cordelia’s hand.

“You had us all worried sick!” Sammy said, although he sounded more tired than angry. “Why would you do something like that?” Cordelia’s lip quivered and she began to cry.

“I-I’m sorry.” She sobbed. “I-I was just s-so scared.”

“No, sweetie, it’s okay,” Lacie said gently. “No need to cry. We’re not angry with you.”

“We’re all pretty pissed at Joey,” Johnny said, leaning against the far wall. “Just what did he do to you?” Cordelia began to cry even harder at that.

_“Why are you doing this, Mr. Drew?!”_

_“I need to test this out on someone and you’re expendable. But you should feel honored. You’ll be the first of a new breed!”_

“It’s okay. You’re safe.” Roy slipped into the room, taking Cordelia’s hand from Allison. “You’re never going to have to see him again, I promise.”

“Y-You promise?” Cordelia’s voice was small.

“I promise.” He smiled, just for her. “I’ll phone him and inform him of your resignation, and that will be that. We’ll find you a new job. Everything will be fine.” Cordelia nodded slowly. For once, she actually believed him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we see what exactly Joey did to her.

Credit to [these](http://queenofcats17.tumblr.com/post/165917756520/disneyphantomlover-i-may-have-come-up-with-a) [posts](http://queenofcats17.tumblr.com/post/165918286330/norman-witnessed-joey-using-the-ink-machine-so) for Norman's fate.

* * *

_Cordelia stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the animation department. This was it. She was going to do it. She was going to tell Joey she was quitting. She had rehearsed her response over and over and over so that it didn’t sound suspicious. Roy had managed to land a job in a bookshop, the economy was looking up, and she wanted to go back to school. That was her excuse, and she was sticking with it. He couldn’t possibly know it was because she was afraid of him. She should have done this sooner, though. Most everyone else had gone home. She’d dawdled, avoiding it for as long as she possibly could, and now she was forced to face her boss with the knowledge that no one would be there to back her up if he went homicidal. She took a deep, shaking breath and ascended the stairs._

_“You’re going to do it?” Johnny asked, falling into step beside her. Cordelia nodded, clenching and unclenching her fists in the fabric of her skirt. Like her, Johnny had stayed to closing time, but for him it was due to the increased workload._

_“I just hope he won’t be too angry.” She said._

_“You’re just an assistant. I’m sure he won’t be that upset.” Johnny said._

_“He didn’t react well when the others left.” She appreciated his attempt to console her, but she remembered every time someone had quit, and it was never pretty. Even the interns’ departures had sent Joey into a rage, screaming that they belonged to him._

_“You can do it.” Johnny slapped her back before disappearing up the stairs and towards the door._

_“Bye,” Cordelia called weakly after him. She reached the top of the stairs and took another deep breath. Fear was building in the pit of her stomach, ice cold while the rest of her body burned. This was it. She was really going to do this. Step by step, she made her way to Joey’s office. He had the radio on. That was a good sign. The radio meant he was in a good mood. But before she could knock on the door, she heard activity from the ink machine room. It sounded almost like muffled yelling. This gave her pause. It was late, no one was supposed to be in that room. She turned, her feet beginning to carry her towards the room, against her better judgment._

_“Hello?” She called into the darkness. “Is someone there?” The light was on in the room, and the ink machine was humming away. Cordelia stopped just short of the doorway. She had a very bad feeling about this. But still, she entered. Immediately, she saw two things. One was the twitching body of a male intern she didn’t recognize, covered in ink. The second was Norman Polk tied up and leaned against a wall. He had a gag on his mouth that he was quickly working loose._

_“Mr. Polk? Wha-”_

_“Run!” He yelled. “Before they get you too!” She didn’t even ask what he was talking about. She turned and started running. She didn’t get far, though, before someone yanked her arm hard enough that it almost dislocated._

_“Oh Cordelia.” Joey shook his head and smiled wistfully. “You really shouldn’t have stayed so late.” Her breath came in quick gasps as tears began to well up. Joey really had lost it, hadn’t he? She tried to pull away, but Joey’s grip was iron firm._

_“You know, this might actually be a fortuitous occurrence.” Joey smiled as he pinned her arms behind her back. “If your sacrifice works, I can move on to Miss Campbell. I know how much she wants to be Alice.” Her heart hammered against her chest. **Sacrifice**? What was he going on about? Joey hummed to himself, using his free hand to pull Norman’s gag back up and over his mouth. The projectionist tried to bite his boss’ fingers, but Joey snatched his hand back at the last moment, laughing. _

_“Don’t be like that, Mr. Polk.” He said. “You should know this is your own fault. You never knew when to leave well enough alone.” Norman yelled something that might have been a curse, the words muffled by the gag. Joey grabbed a length of rope from the ground, quickly and deftly tying her wrists and ankles before setting her down. The nameless intern’s body was swept off the table under the ink machine’s spout, replaced instead with Norman. The body hit the ground, groaning, before dissolving into a puddle. Joey clicked his tongue._

_“Mm. I’ll probably need a little more for this.” He said. “A projector…Possibly a few film reels. Oh! And a speaker!” He went to the door, glancing back with a smile. “I’ll just be a moment.” He disappeared out the door, leaving Cordelia alone with Norman. She tried struggling, but the ropes only cut into her skin, rubbing it raw enough to draw blood._

_It wasn’t long before Joey returned with the items. A projector, a film reel, and a speaker. Cordelia and Norman were both exactly where he’d left them. They couldn’t really go anywhere. But Joey hadn’t gagged Cordelia._

_“Why are you doing this, Mr. Drew?!” She sobbed._

_“I need to test this out on someone and you’re expendable.” Joey said. “I hadn’t intended for it to be this soon, but I suppose it doesn’t matter in the end. Either way, neither one of you will breathe a word of what you’ve seen to anyone.” Norman began struggling even harder against his bonds to no avail._

_“Now now, this will be easier if you stay still.” Joey patted Norman’s head. “I’ve been practicing, but the process is still unpredictable.” He slung Norman over his shoulder, opening a compartment in the side of the machine. As Cordelia watched, he shoved Norman’s writhing body in, shutting the hatch and turning the machine on. A horrifying sound filled the room as the machine shuddered and began to pump out the ink. It wasn’t like any ink Cordelia had ever seen, however. It was thick and goopy and seemed to move of its own accord. It began to form something that almost resembled a body. The creature was screaming, clawing out at something only it seemed to be able to see._

_“Fascinating.” Joey gasped at the thing that had once been Norman. Cordelia screamed at the top of her lungs. This sound was enough to make the thing on floor lash out even more, and it disappeared into a puddle. Joey turned back to Cordelia, all smiles and false charm._

_“My dear, you should be honored.” He said, kneeling before her. “You’re going to be the first of a new breed.”_

_“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!” She shrieked, lashing out at him with her feet. She managed to land a sound hit on his shin, causing him to recoil._

_“You little-” He inhaled sharply. He grabbed her by her hair, dragging her up onto the table._

_“I was going to do this the easy way, but if you’re going to be difficult, then so will I.” He withdrew a flask from his coat. “Now open up.” Cordelia immediately clamped her mouth shut. She recognized ink when she smelled it. It was the only thing she’d smelled in this damn studio for months now. Joey’s already strained smile grew tighter._

_“Come now, my dear.” He said through gritted teeth. “Won’t you be a good girl for me?” As he tried to pry her mouth open, she snapped at his fingers with her teeth. Joey grabbed her chin, yanking it down and forcing her mouth open. Immediately, he shoved the jug in and forced her head up so she was drinking whatever was in the jug. The sour taste of ink filled her mouth. She tried close her mouth, tried to vomit, tried to do something, anything. Joey held her firm, looking quite delighted as she sputtered and spat._

_“I think you’ll make a fine first attempt at Alice.” Joey hummed, patting her head._

_“Alice?” She squeaked. “You’re trying to make me Alice Angel?”_

_“Well, you won’t really be Alice.” He said. “Think of yourself as a first draft. If this goes well, then I can make the real Alice using Miss Campbell.” She stopped struggling. She felt sick, not just from the ink. Her boss was trying to turn her into a cartoon character. Why? Why was he doing this?_

_“Mr. Drew? What did I do wrong?” She asked. “Why me?”_

_“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He said. “It was going to be that Johnny boy, but you showed up first. You’re nothing special, dear.” Her fear ebbed at this, and anger flared. Nothing special?! After everything she’d done for him, for the studio, she was nothing special?! Her nails dug into her hands and she gritted her teeth. Joey turned away, moving out of sight to fiddle with the machine. Cordelia starting trying to wriggle out of the ropes. She managed to get her feet free when she contorted her body a bit. Her hands were a little more difficult. The more she struggled, the more the ropes cut into her skin. Although the blood did make them slicker, allowing her to wiggle her way out. She was off the table in moments, grabbing a discarded reel from the floor and bashing Joey over the head with it. Her anger was fading now, the fear replacing it once more. As Joey stumbled back, she ran. Her knees were weak, her heart hammered at her chest, but she forced her feet to keep moving as she navigated back to the entrance. She heard the sound of footsteps as she fumbled with the doorknob, as well as Joey’s angry voice. She got the door open and stumbled out into the streets. She didn’t stop running until she was in sight of cars and buildings. She paused in an alleyway to vomit, then continued on. It was late, rain pouring down and obscuring everything from view. Her head was light. She could barely walk straight. Every sound made her jump. Every sound promised to be Joey or Murray, there to drag her back. She paused on a bridge, overlooking the river. If...If she was dead, then they wouldn’t be able to get to her. If she was dead, she wouldn’t have anything left to fear. Joey Drew would never be able to hurt her again. With shaking hands, she hoisted herself up onto the railing. It felt so impossibly cold under her hands. She almost lost her grip. She could hear someone calling her name. But she was already falling, even as her brother ran to her aid._

 

Cordelia woke up screaming. She looked around frantically. She was in her bedroom, she was safe. Roy sat at her side, his scar standing out in the dim light.

“Rough night?” He asked, smiling wearily. Cordelia nodded, instinctively clinging to his arm.

“You never have to see him again.” Roy promised, kissing her head. “You’re going to be okay.” She nodded. She’d have to call Sammy and Susie in the morning. Hearing their voices would make everything better.

“What are you reading?” She whispered, glancing down at the book in his lap.

“Nothing.” Roy shoved the book to the side, out of her sight. He’d picked up Drew’s book when he’d gone to collect Cordelia’s things from the studio. He figured the bastard wouldn’t miss it too much. He knew how Cordelia would react if she saw it. Best that she just didn’t. When she closed her eyes, she still saw Joey’s face, still heard his voice. She didn’t need to know her brother was reading _The Illusion Of Living_.

“How long have I been sleeping?” She asked. It had been a few days since she’d left the hospital, and all the days had blurred together into one long muddled dream.

“Well, it’s been at least two hours since you went to bed.” Roy said, cocking his head thoughtfully to the side.

“That’s not what I meant.” Cordelia frowned and punched his arm. “Ugh. Whatever. Did I miss anything?”

“Not really.”

“Did anyone come by to see me?”

“The usual people.” Roy shrugged. “There was Lawrence, of course. Susie too. And that Allison woman.”

“Sammy came by?” Cordelia groaned and curled back up. “And I missed him?”

“You know he’s coming back, right?”

“But still! He probably saw me all gross and disheveled and all!”

“Relax.” Roy laughed and ruffled her hair. “He’s probably seen you in worse condition at the studio.” This was good. This was comfortable. It was almost as if nothing had changed. But when Roy looked at his sister or at the book beside him, he remembered. Things weren’t normal. Joey Drew had ruined everything. Just thinking about him made Roy’s blood boil. Drew was running his company into the ground, with little to no thought as it how it affected his employees. Even worse, he was doing things to them. Things that Cordelia wouldn’t talk about.

“I hope he’ll be alright.” Cordelia said. “Sammy, I mean.”

“He’s smart. He’ll get out.”

“Norman was smart too.” She said, suddenly solemn. “It didn’t do him any good.”

“Norman...The projectionist, right?” Roy could never keep most of her coworkers straight. She nodded, clutching at her blanket as sobs began to wrack her body.

“He didn’t deserve it.” She hugged her knees. “He didn’t deserve it.” Roy didn’t ask, just drawing her close to him.


	12. Chapter 12

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_My therapist says that recording my thoughts might make me feel better. I am feeling better, just being out of that environment. I’ve been writing Mr. Lawrence and he seems to be doing okay too. I can’t help but be worried, though. After what happened with Mr. Polk- No. No, I’m not going to talk about that. No one would believe me. Sammy says he might quit soon. I hope he does. No one in that place is safe from Mr. Drew. I lost contact with Johnny already. I don’t want to think about what might have happened to him. Then there’s Susie...She’s going even further off the deep end and I just know she’s going to do something drastic. She’s always talking about Alice and some plan Joey has. I want to tell her about what I saw, what I heard, but it’s not like she’d ever believe me. No one would believe me if I told them. Not even Roy. I... I’m done talking._

.

.

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Sammy finally quit yesterday. You have no idea how relieved I was when he called and told me. He’s safe now. Mr. Drew can’t hurt him if he’s not in the studio. Sammy already has another job lined up at another studio. Apparently, they’d been making him offers before. I’m happy for him. He can still do what he loves. Oh! I forgot to mention that I went back to school! College is really something. I think...I think I’m going to be a teacher. Sammy said he can definitely imagine me as a kindergarten teacher or something, but I want to be a music teacher. I want to do for other people what he did for me. I want to make children fall in love with music the way I have. Sammy blushed a little when I told him that. Roy thought it was hilarious and told me that I’m going to get jaded really quickly. I made sure to hide his favorite boater hat. He’ll be looking for it for a while._

.

.

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I just recently started cleaning out the box Roy brought of my stuff from the studio, and I found a tape from my 21rst birthday. I know, it’s been years, and I should have cleaned it out sooner, but I got busy. I went back to school and all. Anyway, my 21rst birthday tape. I’d forgotten this, but after work that day, a few of us went out for drinks to celebrate. It was nice if I’m remembering correctly. Sammy got absolutely plastered, and it was hilarious. Wally was the most responsible, making sure everyone was okay to drive, and if they weren’t he arranged rides for them. Mr. Drew was there too. -Laughs bitterly- It’s funny. Back then I thought I was lucky to have such a kind and caring boss. But it was all just an act, wasn’t it? Just an act he put on to get what he wanted. He makes me sick. But that’s all in the past now. I never have to see Joey Drew again. In other news, I’m student teaching at an elementary school now. It won’t be long until I’m a full-fledged teacher! I’m so excited!_

.

.

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I’m really starting to get worried about Susie. She doesn’t come by as much anymore, and when she does she’s always agitated or angry. She never stops talking about Alice, always asking what she could do to be more like Alice, asking if we think Mr. Drew will let her be Alice again. I’ve never been more tempted to tell her what Joey has planned for her. But I still can’t bring myself to say it. I think...I think she might even like the idea of becoming Alice Angel. She’s not herself anymore. She’s stopped coming to the house completely recently, and I can’t get ahold of her either._

.

.

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_Sammy stopped writing or calling. At first, I thought he was just busy, but after a week I got worried. I went by his apartment and his landlady said she hasn’t seen him for nearly three weeks now. And when I asked around in Susie’s neighborhood, they told me they haven’t seen her in nearly two months. It’s Joey. It has to be. Why else would they vanish off the face of the Earth like this if it wasn’t Joey Motherfucking Drew?! .... Part of me is screaming that I have to go back, that I have to see what he’s doing. But the other part of me wants nothing to do with that place. I think...after Norman...I can’t let this go. I have to find out what Joey did to my friends._


	13. Good End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of the ending. The "good" ending. If you can call it good.

Voice of Cordelia Bell

_I went back, armed with pepper spray and a pocket knife. Not exactly the best weapons for fighting eldritch abominations, but I worked with what I had. But I went back. I can’t believe I went back. I was shaking the whole way over, and it only got worse when I opened the door and stepped in. It was worse than I ever could have imagined. Something horrible happened there. There were no cars when I showed up. The door was unlocked and the studio was a mess. There was ink everywhere, everything was boarded up. I couldn’t find anyone at first, which was bad, but it got worse when I actually found someone. Sammy was the only one I found. He was in the music department, because of course he was. He...It looked like he was covered in ink. Like his body was made of ink. He was wearing these ratty overalls and a Bendy mask and...And...He tried to sacrifice me. He kept talking about sheep and Bendy being his savior. I don’t know what happened to him. That thing...it was barely Sammy anymore. There was none of that cynicism, none of his sass. He was like an empty shell. He said I looked familiar. Familiar! Thankfully, my visit was pretty brief. Roy knows what I did, but he hasn’t been pressuring me to say anything, thankfully. I don’t know what Joey did, but I know I can’t go back. I don’t know how to fix this situation, and as much as it pains me, I’m going to leave it be._

 

Cordelia had never been a hero. She’d always been too afraid to do anything to stop the things that made her afraid. But she was older now. She would go in prepared. Joey wouldn’t be able to hurt her this time. When Roy went out for work, she took the bus out to the studio. No one gave her a second glance, although when she got off near the studio, the bus driver did stop her.

“You’re not going out to the Drew Studio, are you?” He asked. “That place has been abandoned for years now. A nice girl like yourself shouldn’t be poking around in such a dangerous place.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” She said before pulling away. She had put on makeup, curled her hair, dressed well, and done her very best to look as if nothing was the matter. She was just a woman on a day out. In her little handbag, she had pepper spray and a pocket knife. She would have liked to have brought a gun, but her family didn’t own a gun, so that was out of the question. The studio certainly did look abandoned when she walked up. Vegetation had begun to grow up the walls, weeds peeking up through cracks in the pavement of the parking lot. Cordelia took a deep breath, slung her purse over her shoulder, and approached the door. The paint was peeling, the wood warm under her hands as she pressed against it. The door was unlocked. It swung open, the harsh sunlight barely reaching a few feet into the dark studio.

“Sammy? Mr. Drew?” She called out. Her voice bounced off the walls, echoing about. No one answered. She stepped inside. The wood creaked under her feet. Entering, it was like no time had passed at all. The lighting was dim, yes, but it had always been like that. She’d never really considered how eerie that made things. She began looking around. The first floor yielded nothing of note, save for the elevator shaft and the stairs to the music department being boarded up. She could still fit through the spaces between the boards if the need arose, but she didn’t particularly feel like making her way down to the lower floors. She’d hated it enough while she’d still worked there. Instead, she slipped through the boards and down to the music department. If Sammy was anywhere, he’d be in the music department.

“Sammy?” She said, stepping onto the darkened floor. The power switch had to be around here somewhere. She fumbled around in the dark, making her way to the stairwell she knew the power switch was above. Her fingers felt the lever, and she threw the switch. The lights flickered, then flared to life.

“There were are.” She said, smiling to herself. Looking down, she found the stairwell was flooded, meaning she couldn’t go deeper. She was almost thankful. She turned back, only to witness something rising from an ink puddle. It resembled the head and torso of a person but lacked any features or anything that made it at all look human. It roared and charged at her. Cordelia shrieked, withdrawing her pocket knife and slashing at it. The thing dissolved fairly quickly, but another popped up just as quickly. She spent an agonizing few minutes dispatching these creatures before running for Sammy’s office. She collapsed against the glass, breathing heavily and sinking down.

“I’m not as young as I used to be.” She muttered. To her right, the door to Sammy’s office opened. Her head jerked to see who it was. She scrambled to her feet when she saw it was another one of those inky creatures. This one had a whole body, and wore ratty overalls and a Bendy mask.

“Get away from me!” She said, brandishing the knife. The creature tilted its head to the side, putting up its hands.

“Very well. I’ll stay where I am.” That voice...

“Sammy?” She lowered her knife. “Sammy, is that you?” The thing, it had to be Sammy, took off his mask. She could see his inky features shift slightly, his arms dropping to his side.

“You look...familiar.” He said. “Have we met before?”

“It’s me, Cordelia.” She said. “I’m your biggest fan, remember? We’ve been writing letters to each other for years!” She could barely keep herself together. So this was why Sammy had stopped writing. Joey had gotten to him. Her memories of witnessing Norman’s transformation were bubbling back up, threatening to send her into a fit of tears. For a moment, the creature that had been her idol looked puzzled. Then Sammy’s face lit up.

“Cordelia!” He smiled, revealing sharpened teeth that he’d most definitely not had before. “My darling acolyte!”

“Your...acolyte?” She asked. “No, Sammy. I’m your friend.”

“You are my acolyte.” Sammy’s voice was a little more forceful now. He closed the gap between the two of them, cradling her face in his hands. “My beautiful acolyte. You’ve blossomed like a flower. You’re perfect. The spitting image of a saint. Together, we will spread the word of my lord.” Cordelia could only stare at him. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but she couldn’t force herself to move. The knife dropped from her limp fingers.

“Your lord?” She asked shakily.

“You’ve seen him.” Sammy said. “The ink demon. _Bendy_. He will save us. He will set us free.”

“You really think a cartoon demon can fix you?”

“You have not seen what he can do. But you will, my dear, you will.” Sammy replaced his mask.

“This isn’t right.” She said, shaking her head. “This isn’t right.”

“Come with me.” Sammy took her hand, gently beginning to lead her towards the stairs. “You will be reborn.” She knew she had to run, had to get away from him. Why couldn’t she make herself move? Only when they got to the first floor did she finally manage to break away. She shoved him away and ran. She got to the door, her fingers just barely grasping onto the knob before the former music director caught up with her. He moved surprisingly quickly for something that didn’t have any feet. Sammy grabbed her by the hair, beginning to roughly drag her back.

“Let go of me! I don’t want this!” She sobbed, kicking and screaming. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Let go!”

“Why are you apologizing, my darling acolyte?” Sammy purred. “You’re giving me exactly what I want.” They were headed for the ink machine room, she could tell. She started struggling even harder. Somehow, she knew he was going to turn her into something like him. How was he so strong? He’d never been a terribly physically fit man while she’d worked there. Her shoes scuffed on the wood floors as they entered the room. No matter how she fought, she couldn’t wrench herself from his grasp. It hurt, trying to pull away. His grasp on her hair was firm. Eventually, she went limp, sobbing and burying her face in her hands. It was like Joey all over again. He dropped her, heading to turn on the machine. With his back turned, Cordelia saw her opportunity, and she ran. But Sammy had been expecting this, and he easily caught her once more.

“What a naughty girl you’re being.” Sammy hissed, grabbing her wrist. “Don’t you want to help me? I thought we were friends.”

“Leave me alone!” She shrieked, going back to kicking and screaming. “You’re not Sammy Lawrence!”

“I suppose I’m going to have to find some way to keep you from running again.” Sammy’s grip tightened and he forced her to the ground, raising his ax. The ax arced down, the butt connecting with her ankle with a sickening crack. Her scream echoed throughout the halls.

“There we go.” She could almost see Sammy grinning behind his mask. “You’ll stay put now.” Cordelia started to sob again, staring down at her mangled ankle. It was bent at an awful angle, looking utterly wrong. Sammy picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and going back to the ink machine. He dumped her on the ground, going to fiddle with the machine. Cordelia was still moving, though. She couldn’t be in this situation again. She couldn’t let Joey get her. Joey was behind this, she knew it, and she couldn’t let him win. Gritting her teeth, Cordelia got to her feet, almost falling over at the pain lancing through her injured ankle. She picked up the ax Sammy had leaned against the wall, drew it back, and slammed the back of it into the back of Sammy’s head. And she kept hitting him until he was nothing but a puddle of ink on the ground. She collapsed against a wall, breathing heavily. She turned and began limping out of the room. He’d be back soon. She had to get away while she could.

“Cordelia?” She stopped, turning around slowly. Standing there was Sammy. Not the monstrous Sammy that had dragged her in there. It was her Sammy, the Sammy she’d worked under. He looked the same, but there was something in the way he stood, the way he spoke, that was different.  She nearly wanted to cry.

“Yeah.” She couldn’t help but smile.

“Run.” He hissed. For a moment, she didn’t process what he’d said.

“I know. I will.” She said. “But what about you? What’s going to happen to you?”

“I don’t know.”

She tried to blink away her tears. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to fix this.

“I can’t just leave you.” She said.

“You stupid, naive girl.” Sammy grabbed her arm so hard she was scared it would leave a bruise. “What matters more to you? Me or your life?”

“My life, of course, but-” She started, but he didn’t let her finish.

“But nothing. You need to live your life.” He let go, pushing her back. “Run and don’t ever look back. Forget you worked here. Forget you ever knew me.”

“But-”

“No buts. Go. Before I have to hurt you.” He picked up the ax lying against the wall. Cordelia nodded, stumbling back and breaking into a sprint. Her heart pounded. The pain of her ankle wasn’t enough to slow her down, not even for a moment. She could hear Sammy beginning to sing about sheep again, the ax scraping against the wood floor. She was starting to cry again. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t what she’d expected. She was supposed to come back and save him, or at the very least find out that he was alright. He wasn’t supposed to be a monster, there weren’t supposed to be creatures trying to kill her! Joey wasn’t supposed to be able to hurt her anymore. Roy had promised. Like so many things in her life, things hadn’t gone the way things were supposed to. Her heart pounded in her ears as she ran towards the door. Sammy’s voice was getting closer. Her body was starting to lock up, threatening a panic attack. She couldn’t stop now, not when she was so close to the door. Her hand closed around the doorknob and she yanked it open, bolting out the door. She slammed it behind her and collapsed onto the grass. She buried her face in her hands, beginning to sob.

“Cordelia!” She looked up at the voice and saw her brother running towards her. She was 30 years old, but still she broke down into tears, burying her face in Roy’s chest as he picked her up. The two of them went to the hospital. The police had been brought in when Roy couldn’t find her, and after seeing her broken ankle they wanted to talk to her. Cordelia didn’t say a word to them, only staring at her lab and beginning to shake uncontrollably. When Roy asked, however, she told him everything. She knew the police wouldn’t believe her, but Roy would. Roy made her promise she’d never go back there again, and she readily agreed. As much as it pained her, she knew she couldn’t fix this situation. She couldn’t save Sammy or anyone else trapped in that studio. She had to move on. So she did.

 

_20 years later..._

Cordelia hummed as she listened to Roy running the vacuum cleaner in the other room. School was starting in a few weeks and she was just so excited to see her students again. Shortly after her brush with the studio, Roy had found her a job at an elementary school as a music teacher, and she’d been working there ever since. She hadn’t thought she’d be a good fit for the job, being that she’d never been overly fond of small children, but she was happier than she’d been in years. The students loved her, as well. She was currently going over her lesson plan for the first day. Then the phone rang.

“I got it!” She yelled, rushing to the phone. “Hello, Bell residence. Cordelia speaking.”

“Cordelia?”

She froze at the familiar voice. “Henry!” She exclaimed. “How are you? It’s been so long!”

“Yeah, 30 years.” He said, laughing. “How are you?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you. I got a job as a music teacher for elementary school students. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but my students are just lovely and there’s really nothing like seeing their faces when they’re having fun.”

“It sounds like you’ve really found your calling.” Henry said. “Sammy would be proud.”

“Yes. I’m sure he would be.” She hesitated a little at the mention of Sammy. “Anyway, how are you?”

“I’m doing well.” He said. “I, um, I got a letter from Joey. He’s asking me to come back to the studio and I-”

“Henry, listen to me, you can’t go back.” Cordelia leaned into the receiver, cutting him off as her voice grew urgent. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you what’s in there, but you have to trust me. You absolutely cannot go back.” There was a harshness to her words that Henry had never heard in her voice before.

“You’ve gone back already?”

“I did, about 20 years ago.”

“That’s great!” Henry said. “You can come with me. I heard the studio got pretty big while I was gone.”

“Henry, you’re not listening to me.” Cordelia began to tap her fingers on the table. “You _can’t_ go back.”

“I don’t understand why not. It can’t be that bad, right?”

“Henry, everything’s gone to shit there! It’s old, decrepit, there’s ink everywhere, and there are monsters!”

“Monsters?” Henry laughed. “That’s very funny, Cordelia. I’m sure the new workers can’t be that bad.” Cordelia groaned, tempted to start banging her head against the wall.

“I’m not going back.” She said. “I escaped Joey’s twisted world twice and I don’t feel like testing my luck with a third try.”

Henry’s laughter trailed off. “You’re serious about the monster thing, aren’t you?” He asked, taking a shaky breath.

“As serious as I can be. Joey did something to them. Something like he tried to do to me.”

“All the more reason for you to come with me. You already know something about this.” Henry insisted. “Please, I need someone to help me with this. You want to help, don’t you?”

“I spent my whole life worrying about everyone but myself, and that only earned me a trip to the hospital and a lifetime of nightmares.” Cordelia said, already beginning to feel guilty. “If there’s one thing therapy has taught me, it’s that my own well-being comes first. I have a _life_ now, Henry. I’m happy. I’m not letting Joey Drew ruin my life again.”

“So you’re just going to stand by? You’re going to let them suffer?” Henry asked. She could hear the disbelief in his voice.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do! I have no idea how to fix it!” She hated how helpless she felt in this situation. From the moment she’d stepped foot inside the studio she’d wanted to fix everything. But she knew she couldn’t. She had to accept that this was a situation she couldn’t do anything about. She didn’t have to save everyone.

“Well, we have to do something!” Henry countered.

“What can we do?”

“What-?”

“What are we supposed to do, Henry?” She snapped. “How are we supposed to fix everything? It’s not our responsibility to pick up after Joey Drew.  He put us through enough.” For a long time, the two of them just sat in silence.

“We can’t save everyone, Henry.” She said, lowering her voice.

“I’m going to try to.” Then he hung up. Cordelia sighed heavily, returning the phone to its hook. He was just as hardheaded as she remembered. Perhaps more so. She couldn’t go back. Not now, not ever. She glanced back at a photo on the wall, an anniversary photo of all the studio workers. Her younger self beamed out from the photograph, standing between Sammy and Susie.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, tracing her fingers over the glass. “But there’s nothing I can do.”


	14. Bad End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the bad end, where Sammy succeeds.

Here's what Acolyte Cordelia looks like. [X](http://queenofcats17.tumblr.com/post/166054056470/heres-what-happens-if-the-ink-corrupts-cordelia)

* * *

 

Cordelia had never been a hero. She’d always been too afraid to do anything to stop the things that made her afraid. But she was older now. She would go in prepared. Joey wouldn’t be able to hurt her this time. When Roy went out for work, she took the bus out to the studio. No one gave her a second glance, although when she got off near the studio, the bus driver did stop her.

“You’re not going out to the Drew Studio, are you?” He asked. “That place has been abandoned for years now. A nice girl like yourself shouldn’t be poking around in such a dangerous place.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” She said before pulling away. She had put on makeup, curled her hair, dressed well, and done her very best to look as if nothing was the matter. She was just a woman on a day out. In her little handbag, she had pepper spray and a pocket knife. She would have liked to have brought a gun, but her family didn’t own a gun, so that was out of the question. The studio certainly did look abandoned when she walked up. Vegetation had begun to grow up the walls, weeds peeking up through cracks in the pavement of the parking lot. Cordelia took a deep breath, slung her purse over her shoulder, and approached the door. The paint was peeling, the wood warm under her hands as she pressed against it. The door was unlocked. It swung open, the harsh sunlight barely reaching a few feet into the dark studio.

“Sammy? Mr. Drew?” She called out. Her voice bounced off the walls, echoing about. No one answered. She stepped inside. The wood creaked under her feet. Entering, it was like no time had passed at all. The lighting was dim, yes, but it had always been like that. She’d never really considered how eerie that made things. She began looking around. The first floor yielded nothing of note, save for the elevator shaft and the stairs to the music department being boarded up. She could still fit through the spaces between the boards if the need arose, but she didn’t particularly feel like making her way down to the lower floors. She’d hated it enough while she’d still worked there. Instead, she slipped through the boards and down to the music department. If Sammy was anywhere, he’d be in the music department.

“Sammy?” She said, stepping onto the darkened floor. The power switch had to be around here somewhere. She fumbled around in the dark, making her way to the stairwell she knew the power switch was above. Her fingers felt the lever, and she threw the switch. The lights flickered, then flared to life.

“There were are.” She said, smiling to herself. Looking down, she found the stairwell was flooded, meaning she couldn’t go deeper. She was almost thankful. She turned back, only to witness something rising from an ink puddle. It resembled the head and torso of a person but lacked any features or anything that made it at all look human. It roared and charged at her. Cordelia shrieked, withdrawing her pocket knife and slashing at it. The thing dissolved fairly quickly, but another popped up just as quickly. She spent an agonizing few minutes dispatching these creatures before running for Sammy’s office. She collapsed against the glass, breathing heavily and sinking down.

“I’m not as young as I used to be.” She muttered. To her right, the door to Sammy’s office opened. Her head jerked to see who it was. She scrambled to her feet when she saw it was another one of those inky creatures. This one had a whole body, and wore ratty overalls and a Bendy mask.

“Get away from me!” She said, brandishing the knife. The creature tilted its head to the side, putting up its hands.

“Very well. I’ll stay where I am.” That voice...

“Sammy?” She lowered her knife. “Sammy, is that you?” The thing, it had to be Sammy, took off his mask. She could see his inky features shift slightly, his arms dropping to his side.

“You look...familiar.” He said. “Have we met before?”

“It’s me, Cordelia.” She said. “I’m your biggest fan, remember? We’ve been writing letters to each other for years!” She could barely keep herself together. So this was why Sammy had stopped writing. Joey had gotten to him. Her memories of witnessing Norman’s transformation were bubbling back up, threatening to send her into a fit of tears. For a moment, the creature that had been her idol looked puzzled. Then Sammy’s face lit up.

“Cordelia!” He smiled, revealing sharpened teeth that he’d most definitely not had before. “My darling acolyte!”

“Your...acolyte?” She asked. “No, Sammy. I’m your friend.”

“You are my acolyte.” Sammy’s voice was a little more forceful now. He closed the gap between the two of them, cradling her face in his hands. “My beautiful acolyte. You’ve blossomed like a flower. You’re perfect. The spitting image of a saint. Together, we will spread the word of my lord.” Cordelia could only stare at him. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but she couldn’t force herself to move. The knife dropped from her limp fingers.

“Your lord?” She asked shakily.

“You’ve seen him.” Sammy said. “The ink demon. _Bendy_. He will save us. He will set us free.”

“You really think a cartoon demon can fix you?”

“You have not seen what he can do. But you will, my dear, you will.” Sammy replaced his mask.

“This isn’t right.” She said, shaking her head. “This isn’t right.”

“Come with me.” Sammy took her hand, gently beginning to lead her towards the stairs. “You will be reborn.” She knew she had to run, had to get away from him. Why couldn’t she make herself move? Only when they got to the first floor did she finally manage to break away. She shoved him away and ran. She got to the door, her fingers just barely grasping onto the knob before the former music director caught up with her. He moved surprisingly quickly for something that didn’t have any feet. Sammy grabbed her by the hair, beginning to roughly drag her back.

“Let go of me! I don’t want this!” She sobbed, kicking and screaming. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Let go!”

“Why are you apologizing, my darling acolyte?” Sammy purred. “You’re giving me exactly what I want.” They were headed for the ink machine room, she could tell. She started struggling even harder. Somehow, she knew he was going to turn her into something like him. How was he so strong? He’d never been a terribly physically fit man while she’d worked there. Her shoes scuffed on the wood floors as they entered the room. No matter how she fought, she couldn’t wrench herself from his grasp. It hurt, trying to pull away. His grasp on her hair was firm. Eventually, she went limp, sobbing and burying her face in her hands. It was like Joey all over again. He dropped her, heading to turn on the machine. With his back turned, Cordelia saw her opportunity, and she ran. But Sammy had been expecting this, and he easily caught her once more.

“What a naughty girl you’re being.” Sammy hissed, grabbing her wrist. “Don’t you want to help me? I thought we were friends.”

“Leave me alone!” She shrieked, going back to kicking and screaming. “You’re not Sammy Lawrence!”

“I suppose I’m going to have to find some way to keep you from running again.” Sammy’s grip tightened and he forced her to the ground, raising his ax. The ax arced down, the butt connecting with her ankle with a sickening crack. Her scream echoed throughout the halls.

“There we go.” She could almost see Sammy grinning behind his mask. “You’ll stay put now.” Cordelia started to sob again, staring down at her mangled ankle. It was bent at an awful angle, looking utterly wrong. Sammy picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and going back to the ink machine. When he dumped her on the ground, he made sure to tie her up as well. Just like Joey had. The bindings on her ankle made the pain almost unbearable. It kept rubbing against the bruised skin and broken bones. Before Cordelia knew it, she was passing out.

 

Her mind felt fuzzy. Who was she? Where was she?

“Cordelia~” A voice slid into her ear. She knew that voice. That voice was a good voice, she could trust that voice. Her eyes, no...eye, fluttered open. She was on the floor, lying on her back. Kneeling above her was a man she didn’t recognize. His whole body was made of ink, and he wore a strange mask of a cartoon demon. Bendy. The name popped unbidden into her mind. The man was the source of the voice. She knew him.

“Sammy?” She croaked. Yes, Sammy! Her mind jumped at that. Sammy was good. Sammy was kind. Sammy would take care of her.

“How do you feel?” He asked. “You’ve been blessed by our lord! You’ve been chosen to ascend!” How did she feel? She sat up, looking herself over. A good portion of her body was covered in ink, and she could feel it dripping down from her hair. The clothing she wore was unfamiliar. A black dress, almost like a nun’s habit, with a bow between her breasts. Her skin was white as paper. This wasn’t right.

“I...I can’t feel anything.” She said. “Sammy, I can’t feel anything. Why can’t I feel anything?!” She started sobbing. She couldn’t remember who she was, where she’d come from. She knew her name, but little else. Her name was Cordelia, Sammy was her idol, her friend.

“Mm. I had hoped you would feel adulation at this new state of being.” Sammy said. “Your form turned out better than mine, after all.” He seemed perplexed. He had done this to her. She had a flash of memories, Sammy dragging her to the ink machine, breaking her ankle, tying her up.

“Why would you do this to me?!” She pushed him away from her. He had done this. He had turned her into this monstrosity!

“You are my acolyte.” He said, cupping her face in his hands. “You will help me spread the word of my lord, as you are one of his chosen ones.”

“Your...lord?” She asked tentatively. “I’m a chosen one?”

“He will save us.” Sammy said, grinning. “He will set us free.”

“Your lord will...Will turn me back to normal?”

“He will make all of us whole again.” He promised. “You just need to follow my lead.” She nodded. He would fix everything. She felt herself begin to smile. She would be alright. Everything would be alright, as long as she had Sammy Lawrence’s guidance.

“Will you help me?” Sammy asked, taking her hand.

“For you, my prophet, I’ll do anything.”

 

_20 years later_

The door in the main studio opened, a man’s voice drifting through the heavy silence.

“Alright, Joey. Let’s see if I can find what you wanted to show me.”

In the music department, two figures began to shift. It was time to believe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I really appreciate your support. And as always, I own nothing but Cordelia.


End file.
